Revolutions- PIH Flashcards
Write an account of one of the following:
(a) The impact of the American War of Independence on France.
(a) The impact of the American War of Independence on France.
> The American War of Independence had a very important effect on France.
> French military aid helped the Americans to win the war.
> French troops in America were impressed by American ideas of liberty and democracy and
they brought these ideas back to France.
> For example the Marquis de Lafayette who fought in America was an early leader of the
revolution.
> Because of the cost of helping the Americans, France was nearly bankrupt. King Louis XVI
wanted to raise money by taxing the nobles. The nobles resisted this and forced the king to
call an Estates General.
> Like the Americans the Third Estate felt they were being taxed unfairly and they wanted a
greater say in the government of France.
> The Declaration of the Rights of Man was strongly influenced by the American
constitution.
Write an account of one of the following:
(b) The influence of the French Revolution on Ireland.
> Many people in Ireland welcomed the French Revolution.
They were inspired by the aims of liberty, equality and fraternity. They celebrated Bastille
Day.
Wolfe Tone hoped that the ideals of the French Revolution could be brought to Ireland.
He wanted to set up a republic as the French had done. He was involved in setting up the
United Irishmen in Belfast to promote these ideas.
He went to France where he tried to get support for a revolt in Ireland. The French sent a
fleet to Bantry Bay in 1796 but it could not land because of bad weather.
The English worried about the United Irishmen and the possibility of a French landing
started a reign of terror in Ireland.
The French sent troops in 1798 that landed in County Mayo but there were too few and
they were defeated.
Many of the other leaders of the 1798 rebellion e.g. Lord Edward Fitzgerald and Bagenal
Harvey were also inspired by the French Revolution
Write an account of one of the following:
(c) The consequences of the unsuccessful rebellion of 1798 in Ireland.
The rebellion ended in failure and was crushed ruthlessly and the leaders of the rebellion,
e.g. Father Murphy were executed along with thousands of ordinary rebels. Some rebels
were transported to Australia.
> Tone’s aim of uniting Catholic and Protestant did not succeed. The events during the
rebellion were to divide Catholics and Protestants further. In Ulster many Protestants who
had been sympathetic to the United Irishmen were shocked by massacres of Protestants
during the rebellion. They became strong supporters of British rule in Ireland.
> The British government were alarmed by the events in 1798. They were very worried by
the attempted French landing. They wanted to make sure that it did not happen again. The
British prime minister, William Pitt decided to end the separate Irish parliament in Dublin.
In 1801 the Act of Union closed the Irish parliament.
> However the desire for Irish independence did not die. Over the next two centuries the
ideas of Wolfe Tone were to inspire many Irishmen to try to achieve independence through
violence.
