Louis XVI vs. Maximilien Robespierre

[CatoMinor]

Louis. He at least attempted to make changes and fix things and it was not his fault that they were blocked.

Robespierre on the other hand was just an epic douchebag that is partially responsible for thousands of deaths.

[CatoMinor]

Uhm, what attempts to change things did Louis make?

He and the people he appointed attempted finance reforms that were blocked by the nobles. He was by no means great at his job but what went wrong leading up the the Revolution is much more the fault of the nobles than anyone else. 

As for Robespierre, principled?  He went from being opposed to the death penalty to The Terror. That is a leap even Evel Knievel would have a hard time making.  He may have been a fantastic speaker, but he was without a doubt a horrible person who has much more blood on his hands then Louis. 

[CatoMinor]

People did not get angry and rise up becuase they read a few books by Voltaire, they did so becuase they were starving. The rain had more to do with it than Voltaire. Along with the food shortage from a less than fantastic harvest there was of course the financial situation for France which only piled on top of it. And that is largely the fault of the nobles, not Louis.

And are you really complaining about the absolutism of Louis? He had groups that kept his power in check, and in many cases kept his hands tied. Nothing kept the regime that followed in check. Opposition was purged repeatedly as those in charge became increasing radical.