The Atlantic Revolutions Part 1

The Atlantic Revolutions, 1775-1825 North American Revolution, 1775 -1787 French Revolution, 1789 -1815 Haitian Revolution, 1791 – 1804 Spanish American Revolutions, 1808 – 1825 Impact felt around the world Inspired by Scientific Revolution Inspired by the Enlightenment The idea that people can improve society

Revolutions Challenge old ways of thinking The divine right of kings Aristocratic privilege State control of trade The authority of a single church

New ideas replace old ideas Liberty Equality Free trade Religious tolerance Human rationality Republicanism Popular Sovereignty The authority to govern is derived from the people The right of rebellion

Late 18th and early 19th centuries These ideas were limited to the Atlantic world. All four revolutions eliminated monarchs Established republics – government with a monarch In Asia and the Middle East, republics were unimaginable

The Atlantic Revolutions had a global impact They inspired people around the world to . . . ❦ Abolish slavery ❦ Expand the right to vote ❦ Develop constitutions ❦ Secure greater equality for women The ideas of human equality inspired ❦ Feminist movements ❦ Socialist movements ❦ Communist movements

The North American Revolution , 1775-1787 The first in a series of revolutions Colonists fighting for independence from British rule A conservative movement Colonists want to preserve existing liberties Upset by new British policies that threatened the autonomy they had enjoyed for 150 years

Origins of the North American Revolution 1760s -- British government deep in debt England asked the American colonists to help pay off the debt England abandoned neglectful oversight of the colonies American colonists outraged by new taxes Taxes and tariffs challenged their . . . . ◆ . . . economic interests ◆ . . . local autonomy ◆ . . . identity as true “Englishmen.”

The ideas of the Enlightenment American colonists inspired by enlightenments ideas Popular sovereignty, natural rights, etc. 1776 - Declaration of Independence 1781 -- Americans defeat the British With the help of the French 1787 Americans adopt a federal constitution Uniting 13 separate colonies into one nation The United States of America

A conservative Revolution Independence did not lead to social transformation Same men who led the colonies led the new nation Land was not seized from its owners Slavery remained legal Women and people of color remained subordinate

The American Revolution American Revolution was revolutionary Began dismantling of Europe’s New World empires. Inspired revolutionaries and nationalists around the world ★ Simón Bolívar ★ Ho Chi Minh Put the Enlightenment into practice ★ The Declaration of Independence ★ The Constitution of 1787

The French revolution, 1798 -1815 Very different from the American Revolution American: Colonists fought a distant imperial power French: Rooted in class conflicts inside France itself No class was happy with the status quo in France French Revolution was more violent than American

The French revolution, 1798 -1815 Began with conservative objectives Establish a constitutional monarchy Promote harmony among the social classes Internal and external pressures cause the revolution to become more violent 1793, King and Queen executed Reign of Terror, 1793-1794 Tens of thousands executed on the guillotine

The French revolutionaries . . . Abolish monarchy and establish a republic Destroy monuments Eliminate titles – everyone becomes “citizen” Ordinary people become engaged in politics Nationalism – People think of themselves as “French”

War in Europe European monarchies united against French 1793 and 1815 France at war France created the world’s largest army French & American Revolutions influence others Americans inspired others with ideals French influenced by conquest Napoleon Bonaparte, r. 1799-1814 Napoleon creates largest European empire since the day of the Romans

Napoleon’s Revolutionary ideas Napoleon brought revolutionary ideas to his empire ❦ He ended feudalism ❦ He proclaimed equality of rights ❦ He insisted on religious toleration ❦ Codified laws ❦ Rationalized government administration. Many places welcomed the French reforms

The fall of napoleon Many places resented and resisted the French French occupation inspired nationalism in Europe 1815 – Russia and Britain defeat Napoleon