Comparing Historical RevolutionsHistory 2 assignment
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School
Cottonwood High**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
HISTORY 10A
Subject
History
Date
Dec 18, 2024
Pages
2
Uploaded by CommodoreLapwing4379
IntroductionMy first memory of the term "revolution" refers to a significant change: the process of destroyingan old system in order to erect something fresh. A revolution phenomena is much more than amere protest or civil war. It refers to the total change in the constitutional theme, largely drivenby ideas of freedom or justice. While a protest demands a policy change, a coup would removea certain leader and replace him with another, while a revolution seeks a rewriting of the entirerulebook. This essay will examine three great revolutions: American, French, and Haitian, whichwill focus firstly on what triggered them, secondly on how they were all beset by salient ideas,and thirdly on what made them stand apart.What They SharedOne of the common points of these revolutions was the resistance against the oppression. Inthe American Revolution, colonists had become sick of paying unfair taxes and beingunrepresented against Britain. In France, people were fed up with a king and nobility living likeroyalty while the people were starving. In the same light were the enslaved that fought forfreedom in Haiti. All these revolutions were driven by greater ideas from the Enlightenment,ideas such as liberty and equality. The American Declaration of Independence spoke of thenatural rights of man, while the French Declaration of the Rights of Man carried forth thesesame themes. In Haiti, the leaders such as Toussaint Louverture made use of those ideas topromote abolition and independence.What made the differencesThe revolutions saw similar origins develop differently. In the American Revolution, the strugglereally was about politics-resisting British rule, establishing a system of governance for thecolonies. That was a different story in France: starting as a demand for a better regime, itdissolved into chaos with the Reign of Terror and ended in Napoleon's dictatorship. Haiti'srevolution is unique because it was a rebellion of the enslaved people, which made it not anindependence struggle per se, but rather a struggle for basic human rights. The HaitianRevolution had the unique problem of having to deal with internal divisions and outside forcestrying to defeat it, a situation something alien to America or France.How They Ended UpAgain, different revolutions led to different results. The American Revolution succeeded in manyways; after the war, a new government was set up in the United States based on democraticprinciples. As for France, things did not settle that smoothly. The monarchy was gone, but yearswere spent in upheaval before Napoleon took over. The Haitian revolt is widely considered asthe most revolutionary, having witnessed the creation of the first black-led Republic and the firstcountry ever to abolish slavery. For a long time, Haiti found itself in economic and politicalisolation as other nations refused to grant recognition to its independence, particularly theslave-holding nations.
ConclusionAmerican, French, and Haitian Revolutions speak of people rising against oppression, seekingsomething better. They drew from lofty ideas of liberty and equality, yet each bore witness to thesingular struggle of its people. Albeit common in frustrations and inspirations, the causes theyhighlighted played decisive roles in shaping their courses and outcomes. Collectively, they serveas a reminder that, whilst revolutions do deconstruct the past, they also embody the will toconstruct something new, especially when the odds are stacked so badly against it.