More handpicked essays just for you.
Similarites between the american and french revolutions
Similarites between the american and french revolutions
Similarities of the french and american revolutions
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
At a quick glance it would appear that the American and French revolution were very similar, however at a second closer glance it becomes quite noticeable that there was a vast difference. One of the main differences is that unlike the French, Americans fought not for abstraction but took up arms to defend themselves and preserve the rights of Englishmen. One of their main complaints was summed up by the slogan “no taxation without representation.” While the American Revolution was a fight for the demands of the Englishmen the French Revolution was a fight for equality, liberty, and fraternity.
When the American Revolution was won, America turned to the lessons of the past and used experience to help them ensure their liberty was not taken, they did this by establishing a government. The Americans knew that they must have a
…show more content…
Reason was their main concept and was held above all other things such as religion, meaning even if the bible said it was wrong, if their reason said it was right they would do it. This did not lead to a stable government nor did it secure their liberty, instead it lead France into a state of decay. They descended into terror during the reign of Napoleon, and, ultimately, restored the monarchy.
Another large difference in the American and French Revolution was the way they went about it. The French Revolution was considered one of the most senseless bloodspillings to occur in the name of freedom. However the American Revolution was less violent. The American Revolution contained a lot more public acts of rebellion such as the Boston Tea Party.
In fact many more contrasts can be made. The Americans tried to preserve their traditions, their religions, and their traditions of representative government and self imposed taxation. In contrary the French wanted to uproot everything. Everything that had to do with the ancien regime was considered terrible and needed to be changed, even the
...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.
In 1685 there sparked a new age in Europe, the Enlightenment. During this time enlightened thinkers brought forth enhanced ideas of equality. Men, woman, rich, poor, monarchy, or peasant, everyone should have equal rights. In 1789 France was especially influenced by the new ideals. The french realized that they were still following the social ladder of the feudal system. They could not buy bread because of the raised prices, but the Monarchy was eating a feast for every meal. They had no say in what happened to their government, and their inadequate king kept making poor decisions. You might even say they took the enlightenment to the next level and started a revolution based on equality. Although the french were fighting for freedom (like the enlightened thinkers), they were not using reason or tolerance, two key elements of the Enlightenment.
The French revolted due to political, economic, and social injustices. Politically, the government was a mess. An absolute ruler can only be beneficial to the people if they cater to
The American Revolution and French Revolution were two long lasting uprisings that had great value to those battling for their rights and want they wanted to change. Yet there are a few distinctions details set them apart in a small way. The Americans wanted a change in their government, but the French wanted a huge change in everything including their government, religion, social structure (whereas American’s social system stayed the same) and economy. Other than the few differences they had, they two Revolutions were much alike, basically twin revolutions.
The American Revolution was a war in which the colonists achieved political independence from their former rulers Great Britain. It was "the formulation of new principles of the relation of men to government, and of the relation of colonies to mother country. It was the inauguration of effective self-government and of social and economic equality."1 The colonists, in effect, achieved full autonomy from Great Britain through the American Revolution. The colonists felt (for the betterment of all Americans) that it was their duty and responsibility to rise up against their oppressors to form their own government. John Adams even states, "[that] the real American Revolution was a radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people. Above all, [the Revolution] was in the minds and hearts of the peopl...
The American revolution was a reaction to unfavorable tax policies from the King of England. When the King of England began to infringe on the colonists’ liberties, leaders inspired by the enlightenment grouped together to defend the rights of the American colonies. As Thomas Jefferson writes in the Declaration of Independence, “History of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries ad usurpations,
To begin, the French Revolution involved radical change in a radical manner, both traits which the American Revolution lacked. A revolution is defined as a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, usually occurring with violence. The American Revolution does not appear to resemble the revolutions of other nations, in which people were killed and property was destroyed. They revolted relatively peacefully and did not kill each other or devour themselves. (Wood, 3) The French Revolution had a period of time in which all people who were considered ‘enemies of the state’ were arbitrarily arrested and at least 17,000 were officially executed. (“The French Revolution,” 20) The American Revolution had no mass executions; there was a minimal amount of deat...
Now, even though they started out similarly, they also did have some differences from each other. The American Revolution was the first significant revolution of the century, and it was also the first to be successful. The main reason it was successful was that it did not start out being “rebellious” in nature, but rather conservative. In another words, it was not a rebellion against the Government, but rather against having too much government controlling them. (American Revolution) The French revolution was a true rebellion against the King and the government in general. The French were the ones on the offensive, fighting to gain new freedom starting with the Storming of the Bastille. (French Revolution)
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
Another aspect to keep in mind when comparing the French and American revolutions is provocation. Provocation includes such things as land war, class war, tyranny, and grievances. The American Revolution had many altercations with social classes and land. One reason the revolution began was because the British created the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that Americans couldn't move east of the Appalachian Mountains. Land was abundant in America, but the British were tired of battles amongst themselves and the Native Americans.
The American Revolution was so much more than just a war, or a time in history. It was a time where America grew, and as the name suggests, revolutionized their way of thinking and governing. It was a time for some great thinkers to get their ideas out there, and these ideas helped shape America into what it is today. These revolutionary thinkers shared their ideas publicly, and that gave the people ways to revolutionize their thoughts as well. They flipped what they knew about government upside down.
Americans in the beginning took up arms in contradiction of the British to protect the customary rights of Englishmen. The motto “no taxation without representation” rightly addressed one of their dominant grievances. The right to not be taxed without the agreement of your chosen legislatures was one of the utmost valued privileges of Englishmen. When this became intolerable to attain within the British Empire, Americans affirmed their independence and then won it on the field. That is, Americans battled for concrete goals; they battled to reserve their customary privileges rather than to overturn a recognized social order. Ours was a revolution about self-government than about who ought to rule at
War causes a lot of turmoil and drama between regions. The American and French Revolutions both have their similarities and their differences. The American Revolution was because they did not like how Britain was ruling them and the French Revolution was because the third class, commoners, wanted there to be more quality between the estates. There was also the fact that the French Revolution was way more violent than the American Revolution. But they were alike in that they didn’t like how the government ruled them.
...he fact that they had no political power and were controlled by a country that was thousands of miles away from them. The American Revolution began as a conflict over political and social change, but soon developed into a dispute over personal rights and political liberty. A decade of conflicts between the British government and the Americans, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to war in 1775, along with The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Americans united as one and knew that they wanted to be an independent country, have their own laws, rights, and not be colony of the Great Britain. They fought hard for their independence and people lost their lives in the process of it but in the end they succeeded. Never give up, keep fighting till the mission is accomplished just like the Americans did when they were fighting for their independence.
The french revolution and the English revolutions dissatisfaction of their monarchs. The Americans were under the rule of Great Britain and they wanted freedom and equal rights. The French developed a middle class which did not have any political power.THe legislative system of the french was very weak. WHile the french legislative system was very weak the Americans were trying to form a new