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Napoleon and the legacy of the french revolution summary
World history chapter 6 section 1 the french revolution and napoleon
World history chapter 6 section 1 the french revolution and napoleon
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Over ten years and an ocean apart, the American and French Revolutions contained strong leaders and similar causes making them comparable. The American Revolution began in 1775 and was led by General George Washington. The French Revolution began in 1789 and was led by General Napoleon Bonaparte. While both the American and French Revolutions were led by strong leaders and had similar causes, the attitudes of the leaders and specifics of the causes make the revolutions different.
The American and French Revolutions were both led by strong military leaders. The American Revolution was led by George Washington who was appointed the Major General and Commander in chief after appearing in uniform in front of the Second Continental Congress. He
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assumed command of the Continental Army in the first battle in Cambridge during the siege of Boston. He was skilled and forced the British to withdraw after putting the artillery on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city. Washington was determined to win the war and led his troops across the Delaware River in the middle of the winter to capture one thousand Hessians in New Jersey; these winter victories raised the morale of the army and secured Washington’s position as commander1.
Washington was a very humble leader and only stepped up because his country needed him. After the French Naval victory in Yorktown in 1781, the American and French army trapped the British and secured the victory. Soon after, Washington resigned from the military and returned home. The French Revolution was led by Napoleon Bonaparte, a young man who devoted his entire life to the military. After graduating from the military academy he attended as a child, Bonaparte was promoted to Second Lieutenant of the Artillery Corps where he quickly rose to become a hero to most of the country. Unlike Washington, Bonaparte was a self-promoter who seemed to enjoy the fame of being a hero to his country. In 1799, Bonaparte played a role in the Broumaine Corps and was named the Consul, which was basically the dictator. After the war ended, Bonaparte brought peace to Europe through various treaties. He wrote the Napoleonic Code which divided civil laws into three categories: personal status, property, and acquisition property; this code reflected the
causes of the French Revolution and aimed to ensure everyone would be able to gain wealth and status2. Washington and Bonaparte were similar in that they were both very successful in leading their armies to victory, but they were different due to the fact that Washington seemed to consider himself more of an equal to his fellow soldiers and did not strive to be considered a hero by the American people while Bonaparte enjoyed his power and the idea that people considered him a hero. Both the American and French Revolutions were caused by events that outraged the countries. The French and American Revolutions were caused by dire economic conditions. America had financial problems due to Britain being economically dependent on the colonies which caused unnecessary taxes; the taxes weren’t the specific reason for the outrage but the lack of benefit to the colonies caused issues. France was unable to pay debt due to trading good taxes being so little so the King proposed taxes, which the nobles were exempt from, leaving the peasants outraged and the social classed pulled further apart. Another cause of the revolutions was independence. While America did not specifically fight for independence, the main fight to remove taxes from the British led to independence being a “by product.” France wanted independence from their social classes being so widely divided; they strived for human rights3. While the causes of both revolutions were similar, the specific situations in each country were different. The American and French Revolutions were similar yet different. General George Washington led the army in the American Revolution, while General Napoleon Bonaparte led the army in the French Revolution. Both countries were fighting due to economic issues and wanted independence. The specifics relating to the causes and attitudes of the leaders make the revolutions comparable.
...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.
Revolution is one word that summarizes complete change. To put the name of a country before the word revolution means complete change in that country's government. In some way, whether it be politically, economically, or socially, the government failed to appease the people. In France and Latin America they stopped at virtually nothing to gain their goal. Latin America literally bit the hand the fed them and France beheaded their own king. This was all done in the name of reformation and change because somehow their government severely let down their people.
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.
Analyzing the post-revolutionary governments of America and France will prove that the French Revolution was far more revolutionary than the American Revolution, due to the radical change that took place, the type of government implemented after, as well as the Napoleonic Code brought forth by Napoleon Bonaparte.
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)
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.
Napoleon was a great soldier that graduated from military school at the age of sixteen and quickly worked his way through the ranks. Napoleon was a brilliant leader in battle and consistently defeated armies larger than his own; including when he forced the Austrians to make peace after defeating four of their generals. In 1799 Napoleon and his colleagues overtook the French government and established power. He revised the constitution in 1802 to make himself consul for life, and then again in 1804 to make himself Emperor of France. Soon after Napoleon came to power he restructured the administration, simplified the court system, and began monitoring the schooling system; French law was also put in the Napoleon Code which guaranteed the rights and liberties that were gained through the revolution. Napoleons violent behavior caused war with Britain to break out, who allied with Russia and Austria. Prussia later allied themselves with Russia; creating a huge alliances against France and Napoleon. Napoleon successfully extended his reign over large parts of Europe and put each state under the Napoleon Code, which gave citizens new rights and privileges. In 1812 all of Europe turned against Napoleon, which lead to his exile in 1814. He regained power in 1815 just to loose it later that year. He died in exile in Saint Helena in 1821.
Throughout time individuals have rebelled against corrupt policies within society in order to obtain their autonomy as well as their rights as an individual. King Louis XIV of France, for instance, taxed the lower class of France, in order to construct his palace, the Palace of Versailles, which depicted his power and authority. If individuals refused to pay their taxes to Louis XIV, then as a result, they would be placed in prison or be executed, as a penalty. The lower class individuals of France began to question King Louis XIV’s authority, ultimately leading to numerous rebellions against his position as King of France. Likewise, between 1750 to 1914 numerous revolutions to alter certain aspects within society occurred in diverse regions
Both the French and Russian revolutions occurred because of two main reasons. Both of these revolutions were the direct results of bad leadership and a bad economy. These two reasons along with other factors caused both of these revolutions. Although they were both similar, they also had differences. A difference between the two is that the Russians had an unsuccessful "pre-revolution" in 1905. Another difference between these two revolutions is the fact that the French turned towards a democracy while the Russian government became communist.
The French Revolution started in 1787 because the country was going through financial difficulties and there was unrest between the classes of citizens in the country. The differences between the lower class citizens and higher classes, being nobles and the monarchy were great. The citizens had heard of the revolution that went on in the colonies and they also wanted freedom and independence. The real start of the French Revolution was on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille. Between 1789 1793, a constitution was written, feudalism was abolished, war had broken out, and King Louis XVI was put to death. In late 1793 and early 1794, Maximilien Robespierre became the head of the Committee of Public Safety in France. This was the new governing body in France; it could be compared to the executive branch of a government. Robespierre was a great leader, he ins...
The American and French Revolutions took place between 1775 and 1789. Though they were closely related chronologically, the two revolutions were interrelated in several other important ways than just time itself.
French Revolution brought a great number of great ideas, but ideas are not beneficial unless they are realized and stabilized. The man to stabilize the concepts of French Revolution was Napoleon Bonaparte. He started out as an Italian general and ended up being one of the greatest historical figures. First, Directors requested Napoleon's support while organizing a coup d'etat. Then, Bonaparte fought Britain in order to benefit France. Lastly, he was called to help creating a new constitution and ended up as the First Consul of France. At home, he ruled using flattery, but also he strongly resisted the opposition. Napoleon is a pro-revolutionist because he denied all the privileges of the aristocracy, created a new constitution, and also established the Napoleonic Code.
HOOK ABOUT VIOLENCE… …….>>>>>>..... Although the American and French Revolutions were based on the same principals, the French struggled more with violent social disorders mainly because of their strategies??? The Enlightenment sparked the ideas that these revolutions were based on. Some thinkers like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson heavily impacted the government.
What first comes to mind when you imagine colonial America? Do you possibly think of the first Thanksgiving or the events leading up to the American Revolution? The first Thanksgiving and American Revolution were both major events in English American history and due to English America’s large importance in American history, were therefore also significant events in the history of America. Yet, English America was not the only European nation to settle in America. Spain and France also established settlements and built societies in the New World. Though, while the English American, Spanish American, and French American societies had numerous similarities, there were various differences as well.
History is filled with moments where civilizations were led by forms of governments that failed to satisfy and protect the people. During the 1750-1900 period, many world regions began to move away from traditional governments and started to embrace modern ideas, such as direct democracy and natural laws. Many of these ideas were presented by Enlightenment philosophers, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Driven by industrialization, many political and social upheavals occurred. In the late 18th century, a sense of revolution established a presence in France and Haiti. Even though they were both influenced by the American Revolution and ideals of Enlightenment, the French and Haitian revolution had vastly different causes and aims, therefore producing different outcomes.