Chapter 16: Political Revolutions in Europe and the Americas Political Revolution

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Chapter 16 Political Revolutions in Europe and
the Americas Political Revolution

• Political revolution changes fundamental basis of
  government
• Apparent unity can shift rapidly
• Revolutions often based on a coalition
• Threshold of victory can bring crisis
• Struggle to gain power within coalition often
  more brutal than effort to end prior system

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Political Revolution

• English, American and French Revolutions are all
  labeled democratic by analysts
• These revolutions share common traits
• Slogans included liberty, equality, fraternity,
  natural rights, pursuit of happiness, property,
  no taxation without representation
• Outcomes often different than stated goals

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Human Rights in the Age of Enlightenment

• Philosophical Rationales
• Thomas Hobbes
• Saw origins of government in brutal life without
  government
• Life in nature--solitary, nasty, brutish, and
  short
• Made a social contract to natural world
• To break contract was to return to state of nature

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Human Rights in the Age of Enlightenment

• Philosophical Rationales cont.
• John Locke, 2nd Treatise on Government
• Social contract the origin of government
• State of nature a benevolent place
• Right of revolution if govt violates human
  rights
• Majority rule of property holders the key concern
• Role of government is to protect property

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Human Rights in the Age of Enlightenment

• Study of Scientific Revolution a new field
• Characteristics of the Revolution
• Rise of a community instead of individuals
• Development of new methods
• Reliance on mathematics
• Empiricism
• Technology present in equipment use
• Freedom of inquiry

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Human Rights in the Age of Enlightenment

• Intellectual Revolutions in Science Philosophy
• Copernicus revises the universe
• Placed sun at center of solar system for
  simplicity
• Feared impact from Church which accepted a
  geocentric view
• Published findings on his deathbed
• Tyco Brahe offered complex geocentric model
• Conflict between religious and mathematical
  astronomers

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Human Rights in the Age of Enlightenment

• Intellectual Revolutions in Science Philosophy
• Galileo added observations and new technology to
  the debate and supported geocentric view
• Newton developed calculus

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Englands Glorious Revolution, 1688

• Unauthorized taxes by Charles I lead to civil war
  Charles execution in 1649
• Oliver Cromwell leads Puritans to victory and
  rules as Lord Protector to 1658
• Civil War establishes principle that monarchy can
  be abolished

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Englands Glorious Revolution, 1688

• The Bill of Rights, 1689
• Parliament rejects Stuarts for William Mary in
  1688
• New monarchs sign Bill of Rights in 1689
• No taxes raised or armies recruited without
  approval of Parliament
• No subject can be detained without due process
• King cannot suspend laws on his own
• Reality is government by male property owners

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Philosophes Enlightenment in the 18th Century

• Philosophes want to use science reason to solve
  problems in politics economics
• Ideas are in American and French Revolutions
• Were influenced by travel and knowledge of other
  cultures
• Most were deists in religion

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Philosophes Enlightenment in the 18th Century

• Believed in Progress and the perfectibility of
  mankind
• Encyclopedia of Diderot is famous product
• Voltaire--freedom of liberty, press, inquiry
• Enlightened Despotism
• Good government does not require self-government
  rationale used by colonial powers

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Philosophes Enlightenment in the 18th Century

• Rousseau skeptical about self-government
• Promotes idea of General Will which sounds close
  to tyranny in minds of critics
• Is unclear about how to achieve it
• Adam Smith
• Promoted free trade
• Envy of wealth necessitated protection of private
  property

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Revolution in North America, 1776

• Americans resent British control from 1760s
  onward
• British policy built of large army in North
  America and taxation to support it
• Grievances lead to Declaration of Independence,
  1776
• It asserts same concerns as English on eve of the
  Glorious Revolution

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Revolution in North America, 1776

• Constitution and Bill of Rights, 1789
• Constitution creates federal government
• Bill of Rights goes beyond British model to add
  freedom of press, religion, assembly, and right
  to bear arms
• Approach tied to four American factors
• 1) Settlers were religious dissenters 2)
  abundant land 3) absence of privileged classes
  4) world had become more radical with new
  political ideas

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Revolution in North America, 1776

• The First Anti-Imperial Revolution
• Represented rejection of colonial rule
• But westward movement created American imperial
  ambition
• Still, American Revolution inspired many
  subsequent revolutions such as Nehru in India
• Not a complete political revolution many groups
  left out but ideal of equality emerges

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• American Revolution was unique--4 million people,
  edge of continent, no tradition of class or
  clerical privilege, built on tradition of British
  liberty
• French Revolution was internal revolt against
  entrenched elites monarchy, in most populous
  powerful European nation
• All Europe affected by French Revolution

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• Origins of Revolution
• Kings need for revenue
• France was divided into three Estates
• Nobles and clergy were tax exempt
• Revolt of the Third Estate
• Want to turn Estates-General into legislature
• Sieyes, What is the Third Estate?
• Want delegates to meet as unicameral legs.

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• The Revolt of the Poor
• Events occur against backdrop of food shortage
• Assault on Bastille, July 14, 1789
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
• Great Fear in the countryside
• Womens March on Versailles, Oct. 5-6, 1789
• Constitution of 1791
• Reflects ideals of philosophes
• Promulgated after wave of protests

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• International War, the 2nd Revolution and the
  Terror, 1791-99
• French actions threaten Europe
• Civil Constitution of the Clergy
• Europe attacks the Revolution, 1792
• Poor attempt to kill Louis XVI, August 9, 1792
• Legislature turns radical after September
  elections
• Reign of Terror
• Levee en masse (national military draft)

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• International War, the 2nd Revolution, and the
  Terror, 1791-99 cont.
• Radical actions under Robespierre
• New Calendar
• Worship of the Supreme Being
• Success in war prompts reaction against extreme
  measures
• Directory established, 1795
• Napoleon to power, 1799

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812

• Napoleon in Power, 1799-1812
• Consolidates or extends revolutionary ideas
• Code Napoleon, 1804
• careers open to talent
• Concordat with Pope
• Full citizenship for Protestants and Jews
• Actions reflect his own modest origins

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French Revolution Napoleon, 1789-1812
Ch. 16 POLITICAL

• Napoleonic Wars the Spread of Revolution,
  1799-1812
• Direct or indirect control of Europe by 1810
• Flaws in his policies magnified by ambition
• Unsuccessful in war against Britain
• Defeated in invasion of Russia, 1812
• Nationalism undermines his control of W. Europe
• Defeated and exiled, 1814 1815
• Congress of Vienna creates balance of power, 1815

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Haiti Slave Revolution Overthrow of Colonialism

• Caribbean Slave revolts commonly suppressed
• Hispaniola, French sugar colony, saw 40,000
  whites in control of 500,000 black slaves
• Slaves escape brutality physically by maroonage
  (flight) and psychologically through vodoun
  (voodoo)
• Network of resistance begins in 1750s

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Haiti Slave Revolution Overthrow of Colonialism

• The Slave Revolt
• Begins in 1791 perhaps with inspiration from
  American and French revolutions
• French revolution outlaws slavery, 1794
• Toussaint LOuverture leads revolt to success
• Napoleonic attempt to restore French control
  fails despite use of 20,000 troops
• Final independence of Haiti declared in 1804

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Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade

• Fear of Haiti-style revolts leads British to
  abolish slavery, 1807
• U. S. abolished international slave trade in 1808
  but retains slavery until Civil War
• Slavery abolished in Puerto Rico, 1876, in Cuba,
  1886, in Brazil, 1888

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The End of Colonialism in Latin America, 1810-30

• Independence Movements
• Revolts led by creole elites, direct descendents
  of original Spanish settlers
• Helped Spain Portugal put down Indian revolts
• Creole fear of indigenous population helped spur
  drive to independence
• Revolts led by creoles were for their control of
  countries enjoyment of Enlightenment ideals

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The End of Colonialism in Latin America, 1810-30

• After Independence
• Bolivar the Challenge of Unification
• Led independence movements after French invasion
  of Spain
• Active in Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador,
  Columbia
• Hoped for a unified South America but got local
  caudillo rule

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The End of Colonialism in Latin America, 1810-30

• After Independence cont.
• Mexico
• Early Mexican movement opposed Creoles leaders
• By 1821 independence creoles were in charge
• Territory lost to U.S. and to breakaway nations
• Brazil
• Portuguese monarch fled Napoleon for Brazil
• Brazil made co-equal with Portugal
• Brazil became a monarchy

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The End of Colonialism in Latin America, 1810-30

• After Independence cont.
• Paraguay The New Historiography
• Dictactor Francia strongly criticized by creoles
  and gained a bad reputation
• Revolution based on self-government land
  distribution
• Efforts to defeat Paraguay as a source of
  inspiration for Argentines and others met with
  failure

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The End of Colonialism in Latin America, 1810-30

• Religious Economic Issues

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Political Revolutions What Difference Do They
Make?

• Each Revolution has a clear outcome
• British created constitutional rights, failed to
  extend them to America, but abolished slavery
• Philosophes inspired subsequent revolutions
• Americans promoted freedom but not for all
• Lat. America political but not econ. freedom
• French Revolution is the exception
• Idea of revolution but prefigures 20th century