The Impact of the American Revolution on Europe The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a major disadvantage to Europe. On July 4, 1776 the American Revolution formally began when the Second Continental Congress signed a declaration of Independence. This war lasted from 1775 to 1783 and also led to many casualties. The aftermath of the American Revolution effected Europe financially, politically, and revolutionary. The aftermath of the American Revolution had many financial effects on Europe. One way that the Revolution effected Europe financially was that it increased the country’s financial debt. Europeanhistory.about.com web article states, “Britain spent a huge amount of money fighting the Revolutionary War, increasing national …show more content…
This is because the American Revolution had influenced the French Revolution. The French Revolution is believed to have an even greater impact on Europe. Brad Mackey in his article “American Revolutionary Influences on the French Revolution” claims, “…the influence of the American Revolution on the French Revolution must include recognition that the French were interpreting the American Revolutionary ideological successes first…”. Mackey says this to explain how the French may have used America has an example when identifying their own problems. One way the American Revolution influenced The French Revolution as that it showed the Americas problem with the King of England and taxation was similar to the kings In France and the taxations of the French people. Mackey states, “the conflict between the people of America and the King of England over taxation and American representation in the British Parliament was, to the French, similar to the conflict over taxation between the Kings of France and the people of France who had been represented in the judiciary by the hereditary noble-dominated parliaments of France”. Perhaps the greatest influence on the French Revolution from the American Revolution was the similarity between them with monarchies having total control over them. In his article, Richard Mackey writes, “These conflicts in France had has as their primary source the disagreement between the monarchical government, which had claimed absolute power, and the parliamentary judiciary system which had been, since 1615, the only institution which had had the right to question that absolutism”. These are all examples of how the French had used America has a model in their revolution and also how the American Revolution had an impact in the French
...on, Enlightenment ideas permeated the politics, economics, and religion of the French Revolution and the American Revolution. While both show several similarities, they predominantly differ on most things. Politically, American conservatives respected the individual and property rights of a citizen, while French politics respected the individual rights, took property rights in some cases, and used terror to influence people. Economically, the American free market idea left the economy alone, while the French input socialist ideas such as price ceilings. Religiously, the America closely associated itself with religion in the revolution, while the French public mostly despised the church.
News spread throughout the rest of the world that England’s American colony had overthrown their British government with a war. A period called "The Enlightenment" sparked the American Revolution. During this time, philosophers and lawmakers focused on basic human rights and creating a balanced government. Ideas from the Declaration of Independence which came from these philosophers, inspired the people of France to develop a sense of natural rights in French government. Since their current government gave the people very little natural rights, they rebelled.
The revolution brought major changes in the system but if seeing from a larger view everything remained the same. The questions that the American Revolution went deeply through were the slavery question, the women emancipation and the system of politics. But at the end radical changes were very little and the lives lost were not worth the advantages for the country. The first issue the revolutionary war had to face was slavery. Social changes never touched the lives of white men since they already had rights and benefits but instead they touched slaves and women even though the scene remained unchanged after the end of the war.
The Enlightenment period in Europe was a shift in the way that society thought about power and liberty. The ideals of this period helped to inspire the revolutions of the 18th century. The American colonies desired liberty from foreign rule, the French wanted to increase the power of the people in their class structure, and the Haitians fought for representation for the millions of slaves on their island. While the ideas of the enlightenment were not fully employed in each of these revolutions, they brought the nations closer to a fully representative government, rather than one of absolute power. The American revolution was a reaction to unfavorable tax policies from the King of England.
The American Revolution has great importance on the way the United States views itself. Contrary to popular belief, Americans were not separate people subject to British tyranny. A large portion of American colonialists thought of themselves as British. There are many ideas and causes as to why the American Revolution began. Differing political traditions, both parties economic interest, trading interest of those involved in transatlantic commerce, Britain’s large debt that accumulated during the Seven Years War, mutual misunderstandings, and the Great Awakening are many of the reasons that the colonist began to revolt against England.
The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, when British soldiers and American patriots clashed at Lexington, Massachusetts, and at nearby Concord. The war lasted eight years. It ended on September 3, 1783, when Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which gave independence to the United States.
The American Revolution began due to problems within the British economy. The most prevalent issue of the time was "taxation without representation". Unlike the leaders of America, the leaders of the French did not turn out to be as positive for the country. In fact, some of these leaders have caused much more harm than good.
The American revolutionary war is an event that has forever etched itself into the annals of history. It has been a testament to the world of how even the greatest empires of the world can be overcome; with self-determination, perseverance and an iron will. Albeit, there were a few aspects of the event that have rarely been brought to light. In our part of the world it is commonly misunderstood that the War of Independence was a series of heroic battles between the valiant militiamen of America, and the tyrannical British soldiers. Yet upon closer examination of the facts a far different reality emerges.
The American Revolution made people realize they wanted freedom. Also because the French king supported the American Revolution which made them go bankrupt and to gain money back. Also the citizens became frustrated.
The American Revolution marked the divorce of the British Empire and its one of the most valued colonies. Behind the independence that America had fought so hard for, there emerged a diverging society that was eager to embrace new doctrines. The ideals in the revolution that motivated the people to fight for freedom continued to influence American society well beyond the colonial period. For example, the ideas borrowed from John Locke about the natural rights of man was extended in an unsuccessful effort to include women and slaves. The creation of state governments and the search for a national government were the first steps that Americans took to experiment with their own system. Expansion, postwar depression as well as the new distribution of land were all evidence that pointed to the gradual maturing of the economic system. Although America was fast on its way to becoming a strong and powerful nation, the underlying issues brought about by the Revolution remained an important part in the social, political and economical developments that in some instances contradicted revolutionary principles in the period from 1775-1800.
The French and Indian War set the stage for future events that no one could ever have imagined. The economic practice of mercantilism, which insured profit only to the mother country was the accepted practice between England and her colonies. As long as these economic policies were met, England left much of the day to day governing of the colonies up to the colonies. It was this "salutory neglect" that ultimately led to the ideological differences between England and the colonies. England won the war, but it paid a great price for that victory. England was bankrupted, and as a result had no choice but to look to her colonies to regain financial stability. The pressures of taxation and naval restrictions imposed by the crown and Parliament, were viewed by the colonists as tyrannical acts. Although the colonies were on a path to becoming "Americanized" they held the lessons of Magna Carta, the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 close to their heart. In their eyes, "Englishmen had rights" under the laws of the mother country. It was only when these laws were usurpted by the crown that the colonies had no choice but to protest their discontent. The political authority that England executed over the colonies after so many years of neglect led to the ideological differences that would ultimately result in the American Revolution.
Both the British and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The war grew out of contempt: England’s contempt for the colonies and colonial contempt for British policies. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. The results of the war gave many citizens a new role in society while others, like slaves, felt no change at all. This paper will examine the specific causes and effects of the American Revolution.
Compared to that of the British Army, the American Army had a significant amount of disadvantages throughout the duration of the American Revolution. However, despite their many disadvantages, the American Armed forces still defeated the British. Simply put, the Americans had more to fight for then the British did. The Americans fought for their rights, their independence, as well as their liberty.
The American and the French revolutions had many similarities and differences. One similarity being is that they both wanted to escape the rule of their King. Second, they both started by an uprising of people against unfair taxation by the monarchy. The French peasants were not represented by the Parliament. It was mainly composed of middle and upper class people. Now, the American colonists were not represented in England because of their lack of presence. Both wanted to set up a Republic, which provided liberty and justice to all classes of citizens. Just like France, the American colonists were composed up mainly middle and lower class citizens. The American Revolution started out by not wanting bloodshed and violence. France started out with violence and bloodshed. (American Revolution)
One of the early differences in the revolutions is the way each began. At the beginning of the French Revolution, the government was about to collapse. While at the beginning the American Revolution, the colonist felt oppressed but had a stable governing body. The French Revolution was caused by problems that can be categorized into three categories: political and social imbalance, government bankruptcy, and Enlightenment thinking. The American Revolution was caused by impeding political laws and taxation on the British colonies by England.