The French revolution is best known for the drastic changes it brought about in the social
and political structure of France in terms of class structures and political administration, this
transformation from Monarchy and Despotism to freedom and democracy was such that Europe
had never seen before. Across the Atlantic, the preceding revolution and struggle for
independence in North America was of a similar nature, it changed the political geography of the
It is essential to define revolutions in order to scrutinize them. Hannah Arendt, a writer
who ardently discussed the origin, nature and course of revolutions in her book On Revolution
brings up the notion that “crucial to any understanding of revolution in the modern age is
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These ideas were compiled into a document called The Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen. It included ideas such as the equality of man, the political aim to retain natural
rights, law as an expression of general will and limitations of liberty to the extent that no harm is
done to another. Given that this promising document was vital to all political action taken to run
the state, it would seem safe to assume that all citizens experienced its practical implications.
Unfortunately, there were many who did not have this privilege: women and slaves. Napoleon’s
dictatorship of France introduced policies that breached several established rights. Firstly, he
reintroduced black slavery in 1802. This not only overstepped the very first article by which all
“Men are born and remain free and equal in rights”2, it also went against the most fundamental of
all rights- liberty. Secondly, from 1802, most “revolutionary inventions in marriage and family
law were canceled” and “woman’s legal subordination to her husband within marriage and
subordination to paternal authority before marriage were reaffirmed”3. The second Article in
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Moving on to the American Revolution, we see novelty and the idea of freedom but through a
different lens. The American Revolution, as opposed to the French Revolution’s subversion of
monarchy, was a struggle against colonialism; a struggle not within one’s country but with an
external power. “they had declared war, not against monarchical principles, but only against the
oppressive measures of the British ministry.”5 The values, ideas and ideals that emerged from
this struggle were materialized in two famous documents- The American Bill of Rights and the
Declaration of Independence. The first encompasses the rights that every citizen in America
ought to have some of which were the right to religion, speech and expression, the right to own
and use weapons and the right to own property6. The second document, which was put forward
as a representation of the unity and common interests of all the thirteen colonies of America,
reiterated that all men are equal and that they are “endowed by their creator with
The Constitution guaranteed liberty for all French citizens. Before the constitution, France
He talks about how he cannot be employed because of his skin tone, and how he feels powerless in the world. Women did not have as much rights as men did back then, and an example of a displeased woman is on document seven, John Adams’ wife, Abigail Adams. She talks about respecting women as much as men, and how they have no voice in politics. Although it took about two hundred years, on document eight it showed that women officially gained the right the vote. The American Indians were given rights on document nine of land, rights and liberty.
The American Revolution is arguably the turning point of American history as it resulted in somewhat of a significant, positive change in politics, economics, and society as a whole. However, from 1775 to 1800, the effects of the revolution on the American society were subtle as most principles glorified by revolutionists contradicted the examples set forth by colonial reality. Perhaps most alike to revolutionary beliefs was the American economy and how it participated in free trade or encouraged the independence of hard labor. Politically, the states did apply Enlightenment and republican ideas as promised, but more often than not, the benefits of such ideas were limited to rich, land-owning, protestant, white men. This glorification of
The Declaration of the Man the Rights and the Citizens: Open Response The National Assembly put in place a constitution that set up a limited monarchy, created a more efficient government, ensured equality between classes and ended Church interference with the French monarchy. The reformation and creation of the constitution reflected Enlightenment ideas of humanism. Humanism is exemplified in the laws that specifically state the importance of equality and the importance of freedom. Law 1 specifically states “Social distinctions can be based only on public unity,” which is an important theme in the Enlightenment.
The Revolution That Brought It All Century after century the human race repeatedly makes history an astonishment through gifted historians, scientists, and politicians whom have brought us warfare, revolutions and independence. These historical individuals and events have made our country patriotic, diverse and legendary. Our country has demonstrated courage and independence all through the French and Indian War through the independence of the United States. As a result, the American society has been given righteousness and freedom due to the rebellious and subversive American Revolution.
It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day. The American Revolution started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the
She views the French Revolution as an act of liberation. The driving force behind the revolution came from the poor. The needs of the poor were not being met so they overthrew the government without a plan to found a new one. The American revolution was successful because it had the plan to reform government. It was driven by the idea of a new form of government rather than meeting the needs of the poor.
The Natural rights philosophy also played a major role in state constitutions. In every state there was a written or higher law, which limited governmental power through a written document. These written constitutions reflected the idea that the purpose of government was to preserve and protect citizens’ natural or unalienable rights. Early American patriot and politician, Samuel Adams, concluded,” Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property, and together the right to defend
Thomas Paine's Common Sense and The Declaration of Independence both speak against the heinous acts committed by the British and the stripping of natural human rights. Some of these natural rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Both documents advocate the separation from Great Britain. The colonist's belief in the superiority of the republican self-government based on the natural rights of the people found its clearest American expression in Thomas Paine's Common Sense and The Declaration of Independence.
The French people’s knowledge of their rights led them to believe that it is possible to achieve fairness and be respected in their own province. And lastly, the idea of questioning France’s government had peasants discover that their king barely even cared about their well-being and restricted them of representation.
How revolutionary was the French Revolution? Did the Revolution simply replace the old ruling elite with a new bourgeois one? What were the major effects on different groups of people, including nobles, priests, peasants, urban workers, slaves, and women? This essay will address the French Revolution and the degree to which it can be aptly described as “revolutionary.” How revolutionary was the French Revolution? Was the storming of the Bastille, the destruction of feudalism, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of a fundamental and radical and revolutionary nature, or, alternatively, simply a series of historical events that results in the supplanting of one authoritarian regime for another and at great cost in
The American Revolution affected the entire world in a very fundamental way not just in its own time but continues to affect the present time as well. Some of the major fundamental values that have emerged in the modern times as a consequence of the American Revolution were the rule of law and liberty. Apart from these two philosophical ideas, another major idea that emerged was that even colonialism by Britain, the most powerful nation at the time, could be defeated as longs the oppressed people stand together for their rights and resist
The American Revolution (1700-1790) was a historical event in time, where the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America, gained independence from the British Empire. Many historians would agree that the Revolution was caused by events and the growing differences between the colonists and England. The cause of the American Revolution could be summarized in the saying ‘liberty vs. tyranny’. The American Revolution was a struggle by liberty-loving Americans to free themselves from a dictatorial British rule. In this period, the Colonies protested against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence.
Both the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” and “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” discuss the roles and natural rights that should be upheld in society. However, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” only covers those roles and rights pertaining to men and other citizens, which at this time in history did not include women. On the other hand, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” covers the roles and rights of both men and women and discusses ways that society could improve to create equal rights for everyone. The differences in these two texts are evident in the language and length of each text. The “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” is only three pages long compared to the fourteen page, “A
Hannah Arendt, political theorist and philosopher, interprets revolutionary experience as a kind of restoration, whereby insurgent attempts are made to restore liberties and privileges that were lost as a result of the government’s temporary lapse into despotism. Taking a more empirical stance, Tocqueville, French political scientist and historian, defines revolution as an overthrow of the legally constituted elite, which then initiates a period of intense social, political, and economic change. Said Amir Arjomand, political scientist argues that the revolution is the collapse of the political order and its replacement by a new one. In short, revolution is more or less, a social and political movement or movements that result in change of an