A similarity between 1780s France and 1917 Russia was ...

In both cases, military failures rather than victories played a crucial role in destabilizing the regimes. France faced military defeats during the Revolutionary Wars, while Russia's involvement in World War I exacerbated existing grievances and weakened the Tsar's hold on power. Thus, military victories did not serve to strengthen the monarchies in these contexts.

While the Industrial Revolution did contribute to the rise of a middle class, it was more pronounced in Britain and parts of Western Europe than in France and Russia during the respective periods. In fact, the conditions leading to the revolutions were characterized more by economic hardship and inequality than by a robust middle class that could influence political change.

Neither Louis XVI of France nor Tsar Nicholas II of Russia accepted significant democratic reforms prior to their respective revolutions. Instead, both monarchs resisted calls for change, which ultimately intensified public frustration and led to their overthrow. The lack of meaningful reforms was a critical factor in the revolutionary movements.