how can knowledge of the american and french revolutions change the course of humanity's future?

by Micah Keeling 9 min read

Why were the American Revolution and the French Revolution important milestones?

The dramatic first months of the French Revolution inspired a positive reaction among men of liberal views both inside and outside parliament. To such men as Charles James Fox, Richard Price and Robert Southey the old world seemed to be passing a way and the regeneration of all human institutions seemed to be at hand.

How did the French Revolution change the world?

 · But what both revolutions’ outcomes had in common was that both resulted in change. The American Revolution and the French Revolution were important milestones in history that demonstrated the possibility of change through revolution. After 8 long years, the colonies of the American Revolution finally won their independence from Britain.

What was the course of the French Revolution?

 · The American Revolution was a political upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783 during which colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy, overthrew the authority of Great Britain, and founded the United States of America. The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in …

How did the American Revolution change the course of history?

 · So there is a truth to the idea of an influential American Revolution. But in the context of eighteenth and nineteenth-century politics, the American Revolution was dwarfed in importance by the French Revolution, which laid the foundation for radical, secular, and bloody revolutions that would become common in the centuries to follow.

How did the American Revolution influence the future?

The American Revolution produced a new outlook among its people that would have ramifications long into the future. Groups excluded from immediate equality such as slaves and women would draw their later inspirations from revolutionary sentiments. Americans began to feel that their fight for liberty was a global fight.

What was the impact of the French and American revolutions?

Americans' Victory Encouraged the French The French people saw that a revolt could be successful—even against a major military power–and that lasting change was possible. Many experts argue that this gave them the motivation to rebel.

How does the French Revolution influence the future of the world?

The French Revolution had a great and far-reaching impact that probably transformed the world more than any other revolution. Its repercussions include lessening the importance of religion; rise of Modern Nationalism; spread of Liberalism and igniting the Age of Revolutions.

What is the significance of the American and French revolutions relative to human rights?

Both the French and the American declarations asserted that certain fundamental rights and freedoms were inherent in each human being irrespective of his membership in an organized community or estate--in other words, that these rights were universal and independent from any particular social organization, which ...

How did the French revolution improve people's lives?

It proclaimed the equality of citizens before the law, equality of languages, freedom of thought and faith; it created a Swiss citizenship, basis of our modern nationality, and the separation of powers, of which the old regime had no conception; it suppressed internal tariffs and other economic restraints; it unified ...

Why is the American Revolution important today?

Today most of the world's nations are at least nominal republics due in no small way to the success of the American republic. Third, the American Revolution created American national identity, a sense of community based on shared history and culture, mutual experience, and belief in a common destiny.

What has the present world Learnt from the French revolution?

Answer. The French revolution teaches us unity, the sense of Justice, and the sense of nationalism. The need to stand up against the wrong in a unified manner becomes visible in the efforts of the French. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are some of the major ideals of the revolution.

What are the impact of French Revolution?

The Revolution led to the establishment of a democratic government for the first time in Europe. Feudalism as an institution was buried by the Revolution, and the Church and the clergy were brought under State control. It led to the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as the Emperor of France.

Why do you think the French revolution is so important to study in history?

The French Revolution has great importance in the context of history, because it was the revolution that a renaissance started in Europe. The French Revolution is the most important point in the making of modern Europe.

How did the American Revolution influence human rights?

The American Revolution was a key event in the progression of human rights in what is now the United States. Most important, the colonists broke away from the British monarchy, established a republic, and—through the Declaration of Independence—centered American po- litical rhetoric on freedom and equality.

How did the American Revolution affect human rights?

Free elections, free speech, and the right to petition the government were guaranteed to the citizens. Finally, citizens were guaranteed the right to a trial by a jury of peers along with freedom from excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishment.

Why do you think the outcomes of the American Revolution and the French Revolution were so different?

Although all this is true the outcomes were different because the American Revolution was mainly focused on gaining independence while the French revolutions The common people of France wanted to get rid of the French monarchy, the lower classes wanted to enforce equality rather than having the nobles and the king ...

What was the difference between the French Revolution and the American Revolution?

While the French Revolution was a complex conflict with numerous triggers and causes , the American Revolution set the stage for an effective uprising.

What were the economic struggles of the French and Americans?

Economic struggles: Both the Americans and French dealt with a taxation system they found discriminating and unfair. Additionally, France’s involvement in the American Revolution, along with extravagant spending practices by King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, left the country on the verge of bankruptcy.

What was the Enlightenment?

One key ideological movement, known as the Enlightenment, was central to the American uprising. Enlightenment stressed the idea of natural rights and equality for all citizens.

What culture sparked the American Revolution?

Many experts believe that the same ideologies that sparked the American Revolution had long percolated through French culture.

What factors activated the French people’s appetite for change?

Other political, social and religious factors also activated the French people’s appetite for change.

What were the ideas of the newly formed government of the United States?

Ideas that were once just abstract thoughts – such as popular sovereignty, natural rights, constitutional checks and balances and separation of powers – were now part of an actual political system that worked.

What was the catalyst for the French Revolution?

The Americans’ victory over the British may have been one of the greatest catalysts for the French Revolution.

What was the goal of the French and American Revolutions?

But in essence, both the American and the French Revolution shared the goal to form a better government. There are also similarities and differences that can be seen in the events and outcomes of the French and American Revolutions. In the American Revolution, a group representative of the thirteen colonies called, the Continental Congress, ...

What did the American Revolution and the French Revolution have in common?

The American Revolution and the French Revolution were important milestones in history that demonstrated the possibility of change through revolution.

What was the right of revolution?

The right of revolutionan idea proposed by Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, inspired and challenged the colonies in America and the people of France to revolt. Displeased with their current positions with their governments, they mustered up the courage and strength to challenge authority. Through their battles and hardships, both revolutions sought a government that mirrored the Enlightenment beliefs of natural rights, power of the people, and equality. With those goals in mind, they demonstrated the idea that through revolution, change was indeed possible. In the American and French Revolutions, there were significant differences and similarities in the goals, causes, and events that ultimately led to the outcomes of each.

How long did it take for the colonies to gain independence?

After 8 long years, the colonies of the American Revolution finally won their independence from Britain. Although the outcome of the French Revolution did not fulfil their original goals for government reform, change was unmistakably present through it all.

What was the tax dilemma in the French Revolution?

The French Revolution’s tax dilemma was quite different from that of the American Revolution’s. Being ruled by an absolute monarch, the taxes were , like the American Revolution’s, imposed without the consent of the people. But in the French’s case, the commoners or peasants had little or no say.

What was the power of the colony during the American Revolution?

The colonial assemblies, elected by the people, passed laws, paid the governors elected by the King, and held the “power of the purse” in which taxes were only passed or raised with the consent ...

What was the French Revolution's Declaration of Independence?

Inspired by the American’s Declaration of Independence, the French Revolution also penned their own declaration called the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.”. Both declarations were based on the same ideas of philosopher John Locke in his philosophy of “natural law”. These declarations were important documents in history stating ...

How long did the French Revolution last?

The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France that lasted from 1789 until 1799, and was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire.

What was the American Revolution?

The American Revolution was a political upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783 during which colonists in the Thirteen American Colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy, overthrew the authority of Great Britain, and founded the United States of America. The French Revolution was a period ...

What was the result of the French Revolution?

As a result of the French Revolution, large-scale standing armies came to dominate the realm of warfare on the continent of Europe. Also, the first charismatic dictator came to wield global authority, threatening the very existence of weaker nations.

What was the history of Europe shaped by?

The entire history of Europe, and the world, was shaped by this seminal event. Its nations were forged in the fires of the French Revolutionary armies and the Na poleonic Regimes that became massive, global powers. Many of the nations they ruled lived under the shadow of the ideologies of the French Revolution .

How did the American Revolution depend on France?

And from the earliest days, America’s uprising depended on French willingness to provide open-ended credit that enabled Deane and his partners to ship supplies to the beleaguered revolutionary forces . Ultimately, France provided about 1.3 billion livres of desperately-needed money and goods to support the rebels. Estimates suggest that at the colonists’ October 1777 victory at Saratoga, a turning point in the war, 90 percent of all American troops carried French arms, and they were completely dependent on French gunpowder.

What would have happened if France had not aided the American Revolution?

Without France’s aid, American revolutionaries might have been seen by other major powers merely as treasonous subjects rebelling against their rulers. French willingness to negotiate with Deane, Franklin and their successors conferred legitimacy on American leaders. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1778 formally acknowledged the United States as an independent nation and opened the way for Americans to continue trading internationally. Over time, France also enlisted the aid of other major European powers (Spain allied itself with the United States in 1779) while sidelining others, like Austria, which never joined the war but made clear it would back France in any wider conflict.

What was France's threat to Britain?

They posed a heftier geopolit ical threat to Britain. Still smarting from its defeat in the Seven Years’ War and loss of colonies worldwide, including much of Canada, France saw America’s rebellion as an opportunity for revenge—and to re-establish part of its own empire at British expense.

What did Deane want?

Deane’s real quest was very different: He sought military engineers, along with clothing, arms and ammunition for 25,000 soldiers. Oh, and credit from the French to pay for it all. Within two weeks of arriving, he had what he wanted, and France had become a secret supporter of the revolution.

What was the impact of French participation on the colonial rebellion?

French participation transformed what might otherwise have been a lopsided colonial rebellion into a significant war, with potential to become another global conflict. The British, it turned out, had little appetite for this—especially when other European powers such as Spain and the Dutch Republic proved willing to support the colonists. The geopolitical calculus made it difficult for British legislators to accept the prospect of a prolonged, costly and global battle.

When did Benjamin Franklin travel to Paris?

When Benjamin Franklin himself traveled to Paris in November 1776, much of the secrecy surrounding the negotiations with France fell away. But Franklin’s popularity with everyone from the aristocracy (he encouraged Lafayette to volunteer) to the general public put more pressure on the French regime to keep supporting their new allies—even amid reports of American losses and their dreadful winter at Valley Forge.

Where did Benjamin Franklin receive his diploma?

Benjamin Franklin received at the French court in Versailles, 1778.

Why did France help the colonies gain independence?

This added to the already massive Government debt. In order to pay for the cost of maintaining various Government offices, law courts, universities, the army, etc., the state was forced to raise taxes.

What was the influence of the French Revolution?

It was the first great uprising of the people against the autocracy of the ruler. It generated ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity which crossed the boundaries of France and influenced whole of Europe.

Why did Louis XVI convene the Estates General?

In desperation, Louis XVI convened the Estates-General (the French Assembly) on May 5, 1789, so that it would grant him the required amount of money. In the past, voting in the Estates-General had been conducted on the principle that each estate would have one vote.

What were the social conditions of France?

The social conditions of France were as distressing as its political organisation. French society was divided into three classes or estates. The privileged class comprising the clergy and the aristocracy formed the first estate and the second estate respectively.

What was the immediate factor that caused the outbreak of the Revolution?

The immediate factor which caused the outbreak of the Revolution was the bankruptcy faced by the Government. The heavy expenditure on the army during the Seven Years’ War had drained the finances of the country.

What did the success of the Americans in their war for independence encourage?

The success of the Americans in their war for independence also encouraged the French people to protest against their exploitation by the aristocracy, the clergy and the state.

Who were the guillotined in the reign of terror?

He passed orders to execute thousands of “enemies” of the Republic. During this ‘Reign of Terror’ thousands of innocent Robespierre people were also guillotined on the suspicion of treason. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were also guillotined (1793) as traitors.

Why did the French have a number of revolutions?

Because of this 'us vs. them' mentality, the French experienced a number of revolutions in quick succession. Whatever group won the first revolution became the enemy of the next revolution, and the cycle continued on and on.

Who were the two historians who discussed the French and American Revolutions?

Over the course of the hour, historians David Barton and Larry Schweikart took an in-depth look at various points in history in which we saw people - with various degrees of success - attempt to rise up against those in power. The first topic of conversation was the French and American revolutions.

Why does conflict occur?

Conflict,therefore, arises when those in power try to exert too much control over the masses. This cycle has repeated itself throughout history, and, as Glenn explained, in order to avoid these trappings in the future we must understand the past. Over the course of the hour, historians David Barton and Larry Schweikart took an in-depth look at various points in history in which we saw people - with various degrees of success - attempt to rise up against those in power.

Why did Glenn Beck present the 1776 Commission report?

Glenn Beck presents the 1776 Commission's report in its entirety, because unlike the media and President Biden who want to hide it from you, Glenn wants you to seek the truth and celebrate Independence Day with pride.

What was the American Revolution based on?

As Barton and Schweikart explained, the American Revolution was based on upholding the rights of the individual. The Declaration of Independence clearly states: All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.

How many troops did King George III send to the colonies?

It wasn't until the Olive Branch Petition was sent in 1775 and King George III responded by sending 25,000 troops to the colonies that it became clear a political solution was not possible.

What was the first topic of conversation between the French and American Revolutions?

In comparing the two revolutions, it becomes clear there is a fundamental differences in the way frustration with authority manifested itself. As a result, the American Revolution was able to succeed where the French Revolution failed.

The Revolutions Shared Similar Causes

Enlightenment Philosophy Was A Major Influence

  • Many experts believe that the same ideologies that sparked the American Revolution had long percolated through French culture. During the war in North American colonies, some allied Frenchmen fought side by side with soldiers of the Continental Army, which allowed for the exchanging of values, ideas and philosophies. One key ideological movement, known as the Enli…
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The Declaration of Independence Became A Template For The French

  • The French who had direct contact with the Americans were able to successfully implement Enlightenment ideas into a new political system. The National Assembly in France even used the American Declaration of Independence as a model when drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizenin 1789. Much like the American document, the French declaration included …
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Americans' Victory Encouraged The French

  • The Americans’ victory over the British may have been one of the greatest catalysts for the French Revolution. The French people saw that a revolt could be successful—even against a major military power–and that lasting change was possible. Many experts argue that this gave them the motivation to rebel. The newly-formed government of the United Sta...
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What Was The Extent of America’s Influence?

  • Though most historians agree that the American Revolution influenced the French Revolution, which lasted from 1789-1799, some scholars debate the significance and extent of its impact. France, a country on the verge of financial collapse with an outdated feudal system and a wildly unpopular monarchy, was a powder keg waiting to explode, with or without the American war to …
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