Les Misérables Volume II Book 1 Chapter 17 - Is Waterloo to Be Considered Good

In which the sombre reflection upon the Battle of Waterloo reveals it as a pivotal moment where the forces of old monarchy sought to quell the restless spirit of revolution, yet inadvertently set the stage for the progress of liberty by halting violent upheaval and ushering in constitutional change. This discourse casts Waterloo not as a triumph of freedom, but as a reluctant and paradoxical emblem of counter-revolution, marking an inexorable advance toward the dawn of a new era.