Revolution as a Product of the Enlightenment Period

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What is a revolution? Revolution is defined, is the overthrow of one government with replacement of another. We are all familiar with the phrase “history repeats itself” over and over each in very different situations. The same can be said about the American and French Revolutions however these two revolutions end in very different situations. Both the American Revolution, (1775 -1783) and the French Revolution (1789 -1799) were the products of Enlightenment ideals that struck a large population of the people which emphasized the idea of natural rights and equality and led to many changes in society. It all ties together with the French Revolution and American Revolution in which people felt the need to be free from tyrannical rule.

The American and French revolutions compare and contrast in their origins and outcomes. To begin both revolutions occurred in the eighteenth century. The American Revolution was about the independence of the country. The people who planned this revolution were among the Capitalist middle class of society. Planning for their revolution was thought of for many years until they found the right time to spark it. They were always forced to fighting Britain's battles, and they wanted financial independence from the overpowering nation of Great Britain, all of which suppressed the growth of the American nation. On the other hand, the French revolution was an indirect result of the American Revolution. The French were trying to cause a true revolution they were not just fighting for freedom but instead they were fighting for human rights and to over throw and remove the monarchy; also they were struggling to gain social equality among the masses.

There is a strong similarity of how and what each governmen...

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...es that desire freedom from an overpowering government. Sadly France did not know what voting was because a king all their lives had governed them. In the end they achieved completely the opposite as the American Revolution; the French Revolution resulted in changes such as democracy and nationalism, the defeat of feudalism, the Declaration of Rights of Man, which all present people live by that, and France gained religious tolerance. Since the end of the revolution France has had five different governments as oppose to America that has had the same one. Overall the American Revolution is considered the first significant revolution of the modern era, as it was the first to be successful one. Both two revolutions were repeated in time which proves that history in some cases does repeat itself. These two revolutions changed history throughout the world as we know it.

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