Final answer:
The French Revolution lacked a single leader largely because it had not been planned in advance and included different factions with varied goals. The notion that the king’s guard executed revolutionary leaders is not true; leadership issues were more about differing visions for France. Some revolutionaries wanted to negotiate with the monarchy while others wanted total abolition, adding to the leadership challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reasons Why the French Revolution Lacked a Single Leader
One of the major reasons the French Revolution lacked a single leader is that it had not been planned or organized in advance. The spontaneous nature of the uprising, fueled by widespread discontent and Enlightenment ideals, did not allow for a unified leadership to emerge. Another reason is that the revolutionaries were comprised of various factions with different aims, such as the radical Jacobins, the moderates, and others, each with their own vision for France's future.
Option 3: 'The king’s guard repeatedly had the revolutionary leaders executed,' is not one of the reasons why there was no single leader during the French Revolution.
This is largely a misconstrued notion since the lack of centralized leadership was more due to the diverse political goals and social backgrounds of the revolutionaries rather than a systematic execution of leaders by the king’s guard. The Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre, indeed resulted in the execution of many, including the king, but by then, the revolutionary leadership had already become decentralized.
Consequently, some revolutionaries desired to negotiate with the king, while others wanted complete removal of the monarchy, leading to further disarray when it came to who should lead. The inherent contradictions and a wide array of social, political, and economic goals among the revolutionaries made it difficult for a single leader to command universal support.