Interesting essay. As this is an area of particular interest to you I might suggest a few books dealing with these issues.
First, the definitive recent study of this is in Thomas Sowell’s “Vision” series. These are “The Vision of the Anointed (Self Congratulations as a Basis for Social Policy)”, “A Conflict of Visions (Ideological Origins of Political Struggles)” and “The Quest for Cosmic Justice.” This wonderful series of books deals with the roots of the mindsets and why the cross all boundaries of thinking.
Gertrude Himmelfarb in “The Roads to Modernity: The British, French and American Enlightenments” shows quite clearly how the French Enlightenment icons were monarchists despite our wanting to associate them with the supposed anti-monarchy of the French Revolution.
The insight provided by the three books of Thomas Sowell is probably some of the best time investment in reading anyone can make who is thinking about and understanding the leftist mindset.
Yes, the French Revolution more typified how violent overthrow works in practice than the American version — which was the exception.
What usually happens is an autocrat is replaced by a tyrant. That is why those who advocate for “revolution” are dangerous; they don’t know or care what happens after society is brought down. They just have faith that it will be better because they believe in Marxist dialectical materialism.