Differences between the French Revolution and the American Revolution
The French Revolution and the American Revolution occurred during two different age brackets. The American preceded the French revolution in 1765-1783, while the French took place in 1789( (Allison and Ferreiro, 2018, pp.10-16. ) Secondly, the American Revolution was a fight for independence, while the French revolution was a fight for freedom sparked by heavy taxes and oppressive rules by the French monarchs. Additionally, the American Revolution was fought against the British, a foreign nation, while the French revolution was fought against an interior enemy led by the oppressed, like Jacobins. Likewise, the result of the American Revolution was independence, while the French overthrew their government, held trials, and eventually executed King Louis.
The American Revolution began officially with wars waged against the British. Ended ceremoniously by issuing the official independence treaty of Paris in 1783, while in the French revolution started by storming in the bastille in 1789 prison and ended by executing King Louis, and Napoleon Bonaparte taking power at the end in 1799 ( Jordan, 2004, pp.121-141.)
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The American Revolution was formed against social oppression, while the French wanted a change on all political, economic, and social platforms. The American Revolution campaigned for individual rights, while the French revolution aimed to fight for collective rights. One aftermath of these events was the French national assembly issuing the Declaration of human rights of Man that defined both the individual and collective rights ( Hancock, R. and Lambert, L., 1996, pp. 199-220)
The violence levels experienced in the French revolution in the phase of terror superseded those in the American Revolution. Many people were charged with treason and executed by the guillotines ( Tackett, 2015. pp.1-13. ) The American Revolution comprised of less than 15000 men, with the majority being supplied by the French.
The American Revolution was conducted by the upper class, while the French revolution was conducted by those who were in the middle and lower classes. The most significant issue was the financial strain, which translated to the country’s independence.
Factors and Events Leading to the French Revolution
Financial Crisis
For most of the 18th century, France took part in expansive wars, especially against Britain. Prior to the revolution, King Louis XV lost the 'Seven Years' war. To avenge the nation's loss, he built a larger navy and formed an anti-British coalition. This resulted in huge debts. Louis XVI further worsened the situation when he involved France in the American War of Independence against Britain. Ultimately, after spending more than a million livres, France gained very little from the war. Consequently, France's debt increased (Doyle, 2018, pp.15-44). Taxes, subsequently, were raised to help offset the debts. Undeniably, this angered the population, who responded with calls for a change in leadership.
Social Inequality
In the 1780s, the French were stratified into three estates. The first comprised of the Roman Catholic clergy. The French nobility was in the second estate, while the third estate included everyone who did not belong in the categories mentioned above. Indeed, most of the French residents belonged in the third estate. However, the third estate was excluded from political positions and other honorary appointments. Additionally, the first and second estates were exempted from paying taxes and had many privileges (Bush, 2014, pp.66-86). The third group, in contrast, paid massive fees, which burdened them. Irrefutably, this made the third estate resent the other two groups, eventually prompting them to unite and launch a revolution.
Rise of the Bourgeoisie
These were wealthy individuals of the third estate. In the years preceding the revolution, they became influential, developing their political agenda and aspiration; they wanted to political equality with the first two groups (Barber, 2015, p.14). Furthermore, they had commercial prospects and desire to own properties. With this, they convinced their 'third estate counterparts' to agitate for changes in the government.
Parliament's Opposition to Reforms
French ministers, to counter the worsening financial crisis, proposed that the first two estates be included as taxpayers. This would have also sufficed in making the taxation system fair and lessen the anger of the poor. Nonetheless, the parliament did not approve of the taxation reforms. This prompted a series of demonstrations from the poor, which culminated in a revolution.
Adverse Weather and Poor Harvests
In 1784, severe winters, with subsequent extreme droughts, across Europe, caused poor harvests. Additionally, France experienced a series of poor harvests in 1787 and 1788 (Marzagalli, 2015, pp. 9-14). This, in the setting of high costs of living, took a toll on the peasant farmers. Eventually, they became frustrated, and this angered them to revolt.
Higher Education
The 18th century saw a rise in several great philosophers who had influential ideas on people's empowerment (Doyle, 2018, p.44). This sparked discussions, among the French third estate citizens, on the need for social change.
Question 3
The French revolution was a series of attacks that were directed towards the ruling monarchs of both Louis XIV and Napoleon. Several wars contributed directly and indirectly to the French revolution.
First, the French-Indian war was the most influential of all. To oppose the British rule, France supplied soldiers and navy fleet for the 1778 battle for the colonists against the loyalists ( Desmarais, N pp.5-10) . The French revolution, on the other hand, was triggered majorly by the financial crisis, secondary to the monarch spending ( Sargent, and Velde, 1995 PP. pp.474-518.) The finance minister, Turgot, complained that this would bankrupt the country. Unlike France, Britain didn’t commit fully to wars and thus remained economically relevant. France also fought other battles such as the King George’s war, North American theatre of war of Austrian succession. Poor decisions made by the monarch affected the country negatively.
The American Revolution occurred successfully. The success also happened in the age of enlightenment in France. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson went to live to represent America in France for a conference. The physical presence and speeches steered revolutionists to believe the change was needed against the monarch. Thomas Paine, who assisted in the American liberation from Britain, also came to France and could air his opinions freely. He was a pro-French protagonist and a propagandist ( Paine, 2017, pp.1-20) .
King Louis had also fought various wars against Austria and Prussia. He appeared as an enemy against multiple nations, due to the revolutionary conflicts. The accrued enemies list ignored his cry for help when the French revolution took place in his country. Eventually, he was aided by King Leopold and King William after several distress calls.
The Fonde wars in 1648 and 1653 also sparked a significant revolt against the French monarch. The monarch led by queen de Medici and Louis XIV imposed unfavorable taxes against the people to recover from money spent on wars. Princes formed revolutions against the existing monarch that painted the monarch negatively.
Jacobins also rose to power in 1973 after France lost a series of wars to the Netherlands. Jacobins gave rise to the reign of terror in the French revolution. Religious wars also occurred between Queen Cateirede and the catholic ducal, from the house of Guise on throne succession. These wars weakened the monarch’s power, with people questioning its authority.
The French revolution marked its end when indications of the First World War came in 1912. The country united against Germany’s threats and enthusiasm, unity, and patriotism were portrayed by all against a common enemy.
References
Allison, D. and Ferreiro, L., 2018. The American Revolution: A World War . 1st ed. Newyork: Smithsons Books, pp.10-16.
Barber, E., 2015. The bourgeoisie in 18th-century France . Princeton University Press.
Bush, M.L., 2014. Social orders and social classes in Europe since 1500: studies in social stratification . Routledge.
Desmarais, N., n.d. America's First Ally . pp.5-10.
Doyle, W., 2018. The Oxford history of the French revolution . Oxford University Press.
Hancock, R. and Lambert, L., 1996. The Legacy Of The French Revolution . Lanham (Md.): Rowman & Littlefield, pp.199-220.
Jordan, D., 2004. The King's Trial . Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, pp.121-141.
Marzagalli, S., 2015. Economic and demographic developments. The Oxford Handbook of the French Revolution , pp.3-20.
Paine, T., 2017. The Rights Of Man . Lanham: Dancing Unicorn Books, pp.1-20.
Sargent, T.J. and Velde, F.R., 1995. Macroeconomic features of the French Revolution. Journal of Political Economy , 103 (3), pp.474-518.
Tackett, T., 2015. The Coming Of The Terror In The French Revolution . Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, pp.1-13.
