Revolutions in the World Flashcards
Important Figures of the American Revolution
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Wrote the Declaration of Independence; 3rd President; Wealthy planter (own estate + slaves)
What was never the goal of the American revolution
Overthrow of the economic system
Slavery in the American Revolution
Blamed King George III for the practice; Only thing that had to be removed from the declaration of independence
Causes for the American Revolution
Taxes - Stamped Act + Boston Tea Party; Getting judged; Revolution; Send troops to the US
Laissez-faire
Adam Smith’s idea; With minimal government intervention - Let people do what they want
Goal of the American Revolution
Pay less in taxes; To have more to say in government decisions / free of government interference
Important Events during the American Revolution
Stamp + Tea Act (Taxes): Boston Tea Party; 7 Years War / French and Indian War; Continental Congress → Declaration of Independence
Senate
In the Congress: Responsible for representing the rich and well-born; Interest of the upper class
House of Representative
House of the commoners; Not lot of transformation in hierarchy; Slavery doesn’t get abolished
Major groups during the American Revolution
White elites; Whites of modest means; Blacks
Social mobility during the American Revolution
White elites moved more up;
Whites of modest means still had bare political representation
Enlightened Ideas in the American Revolution
John Locke: Justify Peasant Tax -> Right to property
Major Figures during the French Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Jacobin leader; Leads the Reign of Terror; Executed Olympe de Gouge; Death led to end of liberalism and against Enlightenment ideals → Create the Directory
Reign of Terror
Robespierre and his party killed the king and queen to exercise power; Guillotine - perfected beheading / Symbol for the Reign of Terror
Directory
The governing five-member committee in the French First Republic
Marie Antoinette
Queen of France; “Let them eat cake”
Causes for the French Revolution
Wanted Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (brotherhood): Got its ideas from the American revolution; Rights of Man + Citizen; Taxes; Voting by class and not by individual
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (brotherhood)
Main cause of the French Revolution
Rights of Man + Citizen
Liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression
Goal of the French Revolution
Limit power of their monarch and copy what the US did
How did the French become a Republic?
Fair voting in the beginning which developed into a limited constitutional monarchy - however, unsuccessful because Louis wanted to kill them all -> Republic
Limited Constitutional Monarchy
A monarchy which has its power limited by a constitution; Louis XVI enjoyed only a fraction of the power he had as an absolute monarch
Republic
Didn’t kill Louis; Removed powers of Louis and gave it to the Estate General
Louis XVI
King of the French
Important Events during the French Revolution
Storming of the Bastille; Mass unemployment and starvation; Estates - Constitution; Popular sovereignty; Promoted education; Developed the draft
Major Groups during the French Revolution
Nobility & Clergy; Bourgeoisie (middle class); Peasants
Nobility & Clergy
Gets 1 vote; 1st Estate; Don’t have to pay taxes; Catholic Church = Largest single landowner → The Third estate had to pay taxes because the deaths of American Revolution required an increase in taxes
What happened to the 1st Estate after the Revolution?
Lost all of their power; Priests turned into local employees / regular citizens; Secularism: Religion doesn’t have place in political life
Bourgeoisie / Middle Class
2nd Estate; Gets 1 vote
Gain the most from the revolution; Rise up and became the dominant group
Peasants
3rd Estate; Gets 1 vote
3rd Estate (97%); After Revolution: Free of their lords and rents + can own their own land
Levee en masse
French Draft - Citizen army not controlled by the government
Nationalism
Develop sense of patriotism and love of your culture; Effect of the Draft
Enlightened Ideas in the French Revolution
Jean Jacques Rousseau: Popular sovereignty
Important Figures of the Haitian Revolution
Toussaint L’Ouverture; Jean Jacques Dessalines
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Son of slaves; Father of Haiti; Leader of the slaves who overcame the white settlers and foreign armies; Learned to read and write from a Roman Catholic priest; Built a strong and disciplined army; Made the French, British, and Spanish forces turn on each other