More handpicked essays just for you.
French revolution and haitian revolution comparison
Influences in the Haitian revolution
Influences in the Haitian revolution
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Revolutionary Comparisons
The Haitian Revolution and the French Revolution share many similarities. The differences between them, however, are great. While the Haitian Revolution was certainly inspired by the French, the distinctions between them are enough to wholly set them apart. While the Haitian Revolution may not have existed without the French, they are indeed distinct separate events. This is mainly due to the fact that Haiti and France were two separate countries, with very different social setups.
At first glance, the origins of these rebellions seem very similar. A group of people dissatisfied with their standard of living gathered together and swore an oath to fight what they thought was keeping them down . There are several key differences though. The French revolutionaries had clear goals they were working for. The Declaration of the Rights of Man set up a clear structure for the society the revolutionaries wanted to create. Revolutionaries in Haiti, however had only one substantial goal in mind. Their focus was not on setting up a political or governmental system, instead their main objective was the destruction of slavery. This also differentiated them in an incredibly key way. The Haitian
…show more content…
revolutionaries were fighting for something truly new. Haiti was to be the first black republic formed by an army of ex-slaves. Another key difference in the two revolutions was the involvement of outside forces.
The French Revolution was a battle from within, while being besieged from without by outside forces. Trust boundaries were much more clear cut. French revolutionaries fought against supporters of the old regime, and against outside countries trying to take a piece of France while it was down. On the other side, the Haitian Revolution was a battle of changing tides. Alliances were constantly being created and struck down. Toussaint formed alliances simply to gather weapons, and then broke them The French government was at times with the revolutionaries, and at times their opponent. This incredible fracturing of trust was radically different from the French
Revolution. The revolutions were different in more than just where alliances were drawn, they were separated immensely in how they embodied violence. In their beginnings, they were both filled with ruthless, senseless, and uncontrollable violence . Towards the end, however, a large distinction emerged with the French Revolution. Robespierre implemented a systematic method of killing enemies of the revolution, the Committee for Public Safety being designed to root out and murder those he deemed against him. Any who fell on the wrong side of the Committee were executed at the guillotine The Haitian Revolution never implemented such a centralized method of mass murder. On this train of thought, the Haitian revolution never seemed to go through a phase of its leaders betraying the principles of the revolution as France did. This is most likely due the much less formal structure of the Haitian revolution. It’s harder to set up a centralized method for eliminating enemies when there is no central government structure off which to build it. The Haitian Revolution was in many ways like a fire kindled by the French Revolution. Both movements were incredibly powerful and liberating to the people fighting for them. While they shared many similarities, and the Haitian revolution was without a doubt influenced by the French, the deviations between the two movements clearly show that they are distinct, separate events.
Likewise, the inoculation stage for the Gran Colombian Revolution occurred when the second-class Creoles revolted, just like the enslaved natives of Haiti. Even though both revolutions were about slavery, the Haitian revolution occurred in a French colony while the Gran Colombia revolution happened in the Spanish colonies. Other events during the inoculation stage of the revolutions included Napoleon invading Spain and the French maltreatment of other human beings. The Haitian revolution was due to the French ruling by threats and violence.
In the 1800s, there were many American territories that were apart of the colonies of European powers that were trying to become independent from Europe. Both Haiti in the year 1804, and South America in the year 1815, wrote letters about their independence. The Haitian Declaration of Independence and the Jamaican Letter have similarities in why they are writing the letters, and differences like who they are writing too. While both are similar, lets start by looking at The Haitian Declaration of Independence.
They were both inspired by previous revolutions. France was inspired by England and America, and Latin America was inspired by them as well as France. Another similarity is that both revolutions were lead by the middle class. In France the bourgeoisie led the third estate, and the creoles led Latin America. Although the bourgeoisie and creoles did not have natural born political power, they were still wealthy and educated enough to successfully lead a revolution. However, France and Latin America do share their differences. France is known for their revolution being very violent and terrifying. Not to say that the Latin American revolution wasn’t violent, but it wasn’t to a savage extent. King of Brazil, Pedro I even declared Brazil independent from Portugal. This was done with very little bloodshed. Also, the revolutions ended completely different. In France the push for democracy wasn’t quite met. They ended up with an absolute monarchy again, however this time around the people's needs were actually met. In Latin America they did fulfill their goal to become independent. Again, these two revolutions are different, but also share some
The late 18th century and early 19th century was a prominent time period in which the French Revolution and Haitian revolution occurred. Both revolutions were connected to each other such that they shared similar causes and consequences. Together, France and Haiti were angered by the inequality and unfair privileges that continued to appear in their societies. At the same time, they were inspired and hopeful of bringing the Enlightenment ideas into reality. Although they were able to accomplish most of what they fought for, such as the abolition of slavery, they still took part in bloody revolutions.
Both France and Haiti had so many similarities between their revolutions. Both France and Haiti had an oppression for both social and political systems, because they wanted equality among people. “ The injustices of the social system in Saint Dominique stood in stark contrast to the ideals of the French Republic espoused in France during the French revolution, when on August 26,1789, the Claritin of the rights of man was adopted”. (Stock). This quote means that the french republic wanted good in their social system but they got the opposite.“Among the whites, political upheaval had started in the french colonies which had started in 1789 and ended in 1799, which came into conflict, which also divided the French at home” (stock). So basically
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.
While the French Revolution was inspired by the American, the Haitian Revolution was inspired by the French. The previously mentioned “declaration for the rights of man” was written not only for France, but as an international guideline. The revolutionary idea of liberty for all was a desperate need for all of Saint Domingue, especially the slaves. Revolutionaries like Toussaint L’Overture adopted the ideas of the oppressed Third Estate to build their own revolutions against slave owners, and France France wasn’t as lucky. Unlike the Haitian Revolution, the French Revolution had minimal effect.
Toussaint Louverture was one of the leaders of the first successful slave revolt on a large
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.
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)
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.
On January 1, 1804, the country of Haiti formally declared independence from the French colonial powers. This newfound state of freedom was born as a result of the Haitian revolution (1791–1804), a movement that was primarily lead by the former slave and prominent leader, Toussaint L’Overture. Due to the successful nature of this slave revolt, the nation of Haiti became a huge inspiration for surrounding colonies – becoming the second former European colony in the New World that was able to achieve independence. Despite the hard-won efforts of the oppressed, political stability within the country quickly unravelled as the national identity formed during the revolution deteriorated under rising conflict between mulattoes and blacks.
Although, after the revolution, both France and Haiti’s economy was negatively impacted, as a result of the violent rebellions that occurred in order to acquire independence. France was required to overthrow their own government, which was an internal force, however Haiti was required to overthrow an external force, which was France. Nevertheless, both applied violence in their movements and were influenced by significant leaders who enabled the success of the revolution, as they desired political equality within society. Plus, each possessed the same government after the revolutions took place. Thus, even though the French Revolution and Haitian Revolution occurred chronologically in this era of changing society, they both possess distinct aspects, as well as certain similarities.
...] and the Haitians shall hence foward be known only by the generic application of Blacks” (Dessalines, Haiti Const.). However, the American and Latin American Revolution were conservative movements. While they did overthrow the government by force and implement a new system, they were less revolutionary because there was less bloodshed. This can be seen as the American Revolution gained independence from Britain and set up a new system set forth by the Enlightenment ideals and English liberties in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Likewise, the Latin American Revolution created less of a change in the political and social structures of Latin America such as not becoming democratic. Each revolution differed greatly in terms of effects, violence, being a conservative or radical movement, and the revolution being categorized as political, social, or both.
What makes the Haitian Revolution more radical than the two before it is the fact that it was led by slaves. Throughout the previous revolutions, the main goal was for white men, essentially, to be free from oppressive government rule. There were few thoughts regarding the rights of slaves, even though they were men. The fact that this group of people were able to remove the colonial authority and establish their own country during this period of time was particularly radical and unheard of.