Compare And Contrast The American And French Revolution

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The uprising in France against an oppressive aristocracy and the American declaration of independence from an unfair British rule are two major events of modern world history. In this respect, both events were revolutions for freedom and share many aspects. The implications of these two revolutions go beyond France and America, for modern electoral democracy effectively began as a consequence. The rest of this essay will compare and contrast these two major historical events.

The revolution in America preceded that in France by a decade or so. It effectively began in 1763 when people of the American colonies revolted against the principle of taxation without representation. Although the colonies were self-governed from thirty years earlier, …show more content…
In many ways, the causes for which the French were fighting resembled that of the American colonists. In the years preceding the revolution, the French monarchy steadily lost its popularity as a result of harsh laws imposed by it. The abuse of power by the French aristocracy also did not go well with the majority of the masses. The French people were also inspired by the success of American colonists in defeating their British masters. During this time, intellectuals such as Rousseau and Voltaire published influential pamphlets, articles and books which caught the imagination of the general public. This period saw the flourishing of philosophical and political thought and brought reason to the centre stage of these fields of enquiry. Hence, this period in Western history, came to be termed the Age of Enlightenment. As people in France got educated about the enlightenment ideals and principles, they started to question the authority of the monarchy and the excesses of the aristocracy. They no longer believed in the divine rights of Kings and Queens and started believing in the trinity of equality, liberty and fraternity. The result is the radical change in public consciousness that primed the nation for revolution. In these aspects the two revolutions on either side of the Atlantic Ocean do resemble one
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