The Age of Revolutions

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After the French Revolution of the late 18th century and Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, many Europeans were inspired to encourage revolutions in the hopes of more freedoms and/or protection. Some hoped that the freedoms granted during the French Revolution could expand into something larger and more beneficial to all. Others wanted restrictions so that the abuses of the Industrial Revolution would come to end and protect those who desperately needed protection. The lower and working classes after both the French and the Industrial Revolution wanted conflicts between classes to be cleared up for all. The French and Industrial Revolution encouraged numerous people of different groups, wealth, classes, jobs, etc to push toward the goals and liberties that they thought they were entitled to; while some received what they wanted and were pleased, others did not and resented any more revolutions. England appeared to be an exception to all the violence and destruction that France needed to make reforms as it passed acts and laws peacefully, benefiting a large of people who protested.

Bountiful elements like wealth, power, and unfair treatment contributed to creating what is known as the “Age of Revolutions”. First, in both England and France, many were upset with class disputes. Arthur Young, being a British traveler in France who got to see the hardships first hand without bias, said “The abuses attending the levy of taxes… a cruel aggravation of their misery, to see those who could best afford to pay, exempted… more than 300 were reduced to beggary (Doc 1).” Young does agree that the one’s who could afford to pay “The rolls of the taille, capitation, vingtiemes, and others taxes” did not and the peasants who could barely...

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...wanted resulted in the changes made by this reform. The Whigs made this reform because the people wanted change in government and that is what they got because it “ Increased the electorate… Provided representation for industrial towns.” English parliament eventually repealed the Corn Law in 1846 after the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. Later on, the Tory and Whigs passed the Ten Hours Act that limited the factory workday for women and young people to ten hours a day. England successfully made changes with little need for violence.

The people who demanded change during the Age of Revolutions wanted liberalism and nationality. Some countries, like France, resorted to violence to accomplish this while England did it with little violence. People will continue to seek freedom and equality and do so with emotion developed and emphasized through the Romanticism.

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