American and French Revolution Essay

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The American Revolution truly had a massive impact on almost every aspect of life, and this still holds true today. The United State’s reputation of freedom and liberty was due to the outcome of this significant event. Even the French Revolution was inspired by America’s accomplishments, and their newly achieved state of independence. However, America could have also been one of the possible causes of leading France to proceed with their bloody revolution. This was due to the tremendous debt France had obtained, because of supporting America during their fight for independence. (Mckay,Hill,Buckler,Ebrey,Beck,Crowston,Wiesner 659) Unlike the American Revolution, France did not achieve the state of liberty and equality that they were seeking. The outcome of this event could have ended on a more positive note, if France had a better leader dictating their fight to a monarchy free government. The final results of both these revolutions were mainly due to what influenced their decisions, strategies, and the most important factor, their leadership. The Age of Enlightenment maybe the underlying reason for both the American and French revolutions taking place. (History.com) This was a period when people began realizing and thinking logically of the world, and everything it contained. They began exploring subjects like the sciences, but most importantly they began to question their governing bodies, which at this time were mostly controlled by monarchies and churches. This is why the decisions made during the revolution were a lot more rational compared to the past. Prior to the enlightenment, individuals would not even consider a drastic move like this. America’s decision to fight for their freedom against the British is a great example of a decision influenced due to the enlightenment.
The decision to initiate war against Britain was not the first option America chose. Both America and France first tried rationalizing with their current governments, before proceeding with alterative actions, but both governments essentially brushed them off, or just simply made matters worse. This was due to the past cultures outlooks on governments, and believing that the people would never question these unfair treatments. This could have been because generations prior to the enlightenment were intoxicated. (Johnson 68) The lack of clean water forced them to ingest alternatives like wine and beer. This was up in till coffee and teas were introduced, which contained caffeine, a mild stimulant, which could enhance one’s cognitive abilities. The transition from a depressant to stimulant could have been one of the main factors that made the people realize their current way of living was unjust.
During the time of America’s revolution, America was able to maintain a steady supply of both caffeine and Tobacco products. Tobacco like coffee, also contains a mild stimulant that is known to enhance one’s cognitive abilities, called nicotine. On the other hand, France during it’s revolution, was going through a severe economic crisis. This caused close to 98% of France’s population, which were peasants, to have little to no access to basic foods like bread.(FlowofHistory.com) This meant they were missing that essential edge the Americans had obtained during their revolution, which was the access to smart drugs like caffeine and nicotine. This is possibly why the decisions France made were so poor, and also why the outcome of their fight for independence wasn’t so great. The strategies used by America to defeat the British were so intellectually amazing for the time. Rather than trying to shed as much blood as possible (a strategy which France chose), America decided to out smart the British on so many different unique levels. Using many of the new technologies available to them, they chose ways that were so much more superior than front end battle. An example of this was, killing the Indian guides, which led the British through the unknown
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