Annotation
Fourier predicted civilization would collapse within a decade; by 1818, Napoleon had been defeated, the Congress of Vienna had restored European order, and the Bourbon monarchy was back on the French throne. Civilization proved remarkably durable. Fourier's broader oeuvre included predictions that oceans would turn to lemonade and that anti-lions would replace lions, which provides useful context for calibrating his ten-year forecast.
What Actually Happened
Civilization did not collapse within ten years. By 1818, Napoleon had been defeated, the Congress of Vienna had redrawn Europe's borders, and the Bourbon monarchy sat restored on the French throne. The commercial order Fourier despised was more firmly entrenched than before, entering the period of rapid industrialization and colonial expansion that would define the nineteenth century.