Liberty through revolutions
Since the end of the American Revolution in 1783, many aspects of life have been affected, not just in America, but all around the world as well. The American Revolution is a significant part of world history, as it was the first attempt for a democratic government to succeed. Two rebellions that were influenced by this revolution are the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution. By studying these wars, it can be determined that the American Revolution had lasting effects on other countries.
In order to understand the effects of the American Revolution, the American Revolution itself must first be understood. The American Revolution was a war between Great Britain, ruled at the time by King George III, and the colonists who moved to North America from Britain. The American Revolution was caused by many different things, but a major reason was money. Before the American Revolution took place, there was the French and Indian war, also known as The Seven Years War, which put Britain into deep debt (Pavao). Because of this debt, King George III began taxing the colonists. The colonists did not agree to be taxed, and so were very upset when the taxes were put into place, as is seen in The Declaration of Independence when it states “The … King of Great Britain ... [imposed] Taxes on us without our Consent…” In the early stages of the revolution, the colonists began to argue for “no taxation without representation.” The colonists defended their opinion that they should not be taxed unless they were allowed to have a representative in Parliament. Some major figures in the American Revolution were George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. George Washington was a colonel in the American army, and he served two terms as the first president of the United States of America. John Adams was a part of the First Continental Congress in 1774, helped to write the Declaration of Independence, was the first vice president of the U.S.A, and he was the second president. Lastly, Thomas Jefferson also helped to write the drafts of the Declaration of Independence, and he was the first secretary of state, second vice-president, and the third president of the United States of America. In the American Revolution, many important events took place. Some major events in the American Revolution were the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770. The Boston Massacre was an event that happened at the crossing of Devonshire and State Street in Boston, Massachusetts. This “massacre” was the death of five people who were shot by British soldiers stationed in Boston after an uproar between the Boston citizens and the soldiers. The citizens were agitated because the British troops were becoming a major part of the city, and the citizens were being forced to let them stay in their homes. A few years later the Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773, which was a bloodless protest against Britain, where a group of Bostonians, disguised as native Americans, climbed aboard the ships resting in the Boston Harbor that were filled with boxes of tea from the British. George Hewes, a participant in the unloading of the tea into the Boston Harbor, said “...about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship...We were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist us.” When the revolution was coming to an end, the Declaration of Independence was signed. The signing of the Declaration of Independence took place on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence has 56 signatures on it, including those of John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson (“The Declaration of Independence”). Because of how well this revolution went, many other countries were sparked to have revolutions to change their country's laws and gain their "basic human rights" as well. One country that was affected by the American Revolution was France. This revolution was caused by the serious debt France was in in the late 18th century due to the excessive spending of money by King Louis XVI and his predecessor, as well as the resources spent by France in aiding the Americans during the American Revolution (“French Revolution”). Some major people in the French Revolution were King Louis XVI, the Jacobins, and Napoleon Bonaparte. First, King Louis XVI was born in 1754 and died in 1793. He was married to Marie Antoinette, and he was the first king to call for the Estates General in decades. The Jacobins were an very large activist group in the French Revolution who took control of the land that was owned by nobles, and they also took away the titles that the people of nobility held. Lastly, Napoleon Bonaparte lived from 1769 to 1821, and he started as a military general, but eventually became the emperor of France, which lead to his tyranny and eventual exile. Some big events in the French Revolution were the Tennis Court Oath, the National Convention, and the Coronation of Napoleon. The Third Estate met for the Tennis Court Oath on June 20, 1789 at an indoor tennis court called the Jeu de Paume. The men at the meeting refused to split until a new constitution had been written and decided upon. A few years later on September 21, 1792, the National Convention was held. In the National Convention, many things were discussed, including the idea of getting rid of royalty. As Monsieur Gregoire put it, “Assuredly no one of us would ever propose to retain in France the fatal race of kings; we all know but too well that dynasties … [are] rapacious tribes who lived on nothing, but human flesh … I … [propose] that you sanction by a solemn law the abolition of royalty” (“National Convention”). During this convention the reign of royals was decided to end. Despite this, Napoleon became France’s first consul in 1799, marking the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic Era. The French Revolution was a major turning point in French history, though unlike the American Revolution, the French Revolution failed to abolish the monarchy. In the early 1900s was another large revolution took place in Russia. The Russian Revolution was also a major effect of the American Revolution. The last tsar, or monarch, of Russia was Nicholas II. Before the Russian Revolution there had been widespread government corruption, and so many Russian citizens were unhappy with how Russia was being run. After the Russian Revolution in 1905, Russia’s State Assembly, known as the Duma, was created. Nicholas II believed that he was given the right to rule by God, and so he did not want the Duma, but had to create one in order to keep the peace. Because of his dislike of the Duma, Nicholas II often disobeyed it when it did not agree with something he wanted. Some people who influenced the Russian Revolution were Nicholas II of Russia, Vladimir Lenin, and Grigori Rasputin. Tsar Nicholas II was born May 18, 1868. As the ruler of Russia, he dealt poorly with issues such as the Bloody Sunday, when hundreds of nonviolent workers protesting their bad working conditions were shot and killed (“Nicholas II Biography”). The execution of Tsar Nicholas II and the royal family took place on July 17, 1918, and was overseen by Vladimir Lenin. Vladimir Lenin was born on April 22, 1870, and died on January 21, 1924. He founded the Russian Communist Party, was the leader of the Bolshevik Party, and was active in many revolutions in Russia. Lastly, Grigori Rasputin was born in 1869. He was believed to have had powers of healing, and so was brought to the royal family to heal their son, Alexis. After healing Alexis, Rasputin began to have some control over the royal family, and was presumed to be the advisor of the Tsarina (the queen), Alexandra Feodorovna, which many russians did not like. Because of his beginning of rise to power, he was murdered by a group of nobles, led by Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, on December 29, 1916. There were many significant events in the Russian Revolution, but three that were really important were the February Revolution, the abdication of Nicholas II, and the October Revolution. The February Revolution took place in february 1917 when hungry protesters trying to get bread to eat crowded the streets in St. Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd. The protesters fought with the police forces and after about a week the issue had been dealt with and ended. In trying to deal with the situation, Nicholas II disobeyed the Duma again, and the day after this revolt ended, he was abdicated. As would be expected, Nicholas II was upset about his abdication, as he said in his journal entry “I left Pskov with a heavy heart because of the things gone through. All around me there is treachery, cowardice and deceit”. Nicholas II’s brother, Michael, was offered the royal crown to become the new tsar, but he refused it, thus ending the tsarist autocracy (“Russian Revolution”). That same year in October, the October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, took place. This revolution was led by Vladimir Lenin, and was a coup d’etat with little bloodshed (“Russian Revolution”). This revolution was against the provisional government, which was eventually overthrown and a new government led by Lenin was created. Just as with the American Revolution, the Russian Revolution successfully abolished the reign of rulers. After studying the American, the French, and the Russian Revolution, we can see that the American Revolution was very significant in world history. Not only did it cause changes in North America, it changed countries all around the world. The American Revolution influenced the French Revolution, which then influenced the Russian Revolution and many others. The idea in the American Revolution that men have natural rights that should not be taken away had a major impact on the French and Russian revolutions. The Americans believed that if a government was not governing it’s people in a fair and just manner, the people have the right to overthrow it, as they overthrew the power of Great Britain over America. This idea that the people should rule was shown in the French Revolution, when the people of France abolished the monarchy and executed the king and queen. In the Russian Revolution, the outcome was very similar, and after the revolution there was no longer a single ruler, but a government of the people as in America. The ideas of the American colonists sparked many revolutions, who all fought for a fair government and natural rights. |
American RevolutionThe distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American! French revolutionRussian revolution |
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