Transcript The Age of Revolutions

North American, French, Latin American and Haitian
Comparing Atlantic Revolutions
 Revolutions of North America, Latin America, Haiti
and France all influenced each other
- all grew out of enlightenment ideas
 Locke and Rousseau – social contract
 “popular sovereignty” - the authority to govern comes
from the people, not from God or tradition
Example of Popular Sovereignty
North American Revolution
 The facts are well-known
But the question is “what changed?”
 Until 18th century, colonists had autonomy
- they saw it as a birthright
- aimed at preserving their liberties than gaining new
ones
 Pre-revolution North America already had a quasi-
egalitarian society
Britain in the 1760’s
 Britain needed money for its global war with France
- imposed a number of new taxes and tariffs
- colonists were not represented in parliament
- denied the colonists’ identity as true Englishmen
- challenged colonial economic interests
- attacked established traditions of local autonomy
British North America was revolutionary for the
society that had already emerged, not for the
revolution itself
Impact of the American Revolution
 No significant social transformation came with independence
 Accelerated democratic tendencies that were already established
- political power remained in the hands of existing elites
- property requirements for voting were lowered
- property rights remained intact
 Many Americans thought they were creating a new world order
- some acclaimed the United States as “the hope and model of
the human race”
- declaration of the “right to revolution” inspired other colonies
around the world
- the U.S. Constitution was one of the first lasting efforts to put
Enlightenment political ideas into practice
The French Revolution, 1789–1815
 1000’s of French soldiers fought for the Americans
 France going bankrupt
- estates general called to address the taille
- 3rd estate calls themselves national assembly
- tennis court oath
- declaration of rights of man and citizen
- storming of the Bastille
French Revolution
Birth of Revolution
 The French Revolution was born out of social conflict
(unlike the American Revolution)
- titled nobility resisted monarchic efforts to tax them
- middle class resented aristocratic privileges
- urban poor suffered from inflation and
unemployment
- the peasants were oppressed
The French Revolution
 French Revolution was violent, far-reaching, and
radical
- ended hereditary privilege
- even abolished slavery (for a time)
- the Church was subjected to government authority
- king and queen were executed (1793)
- the Terror and Robespierre (1793–1794)
The New Society
 1792 became Year I of a new calendar
- briefly passed a law for universal male suffrage
- France was divided into 83 territorial departments
- created a massive army (some 800,000 men) to fight
threatening neighbors
- all adult males were required to serve
- officers came from middle and lower classes
Napoleon Bonaparte
 Napoleon Bonaparte (r. 1799–1814) seized power in
1799
- preserved many moderate elements of the revolution
- kept social equality, but got rid of liberty
- imposed revolutionary practices on conquered
regions
- resentment of French domination stimulated
national consciousness throughout Europe
- national resistance brought down Napoleon’s empire
by 1815
Napoleon Bonaparte
Haitian Revolution
 Saint Dominique (later named Haiti)
- regarded as the richest colony in the world
- vast majority of population were slaves
- around 500,000 slaves, 40,000 whites, 30,000 “free people
of color”
 French Revolution sparked a spiral of violence
- but revolution meant different things to different people
- massive slave revolt began in 1791
- became a war between a number of factions
- power gradually shifted to the slaves, who were led by
former slave Toussaint Louverture
Success!!!
 This was the only successful slave revolt in history
- declared equality for all races
- divided up plantations among small farmers
- subsistence farming, Haiti pulls away from global
commerce
 Effects of Revolution
- inspired other slave rebellions
- scared whites, led to social conservatism
- increased slavery elsewhere
 Napoleon’s defeat in Haiti convinced him to sell
Louisiana Territory to the United States
Toussiant L’Overture
Spanish American Revolutions
 Latin American revolutions were inspired by earlier
revolutionary movements
 native-born elites (creoles) in Spanish colonies of Latin
America were offended at the Spanish monarchy’s efforts to
control them in the eighteenth century
- but there were only scattered and uncoordinated protests
initially
 Latin American movements were originally limited
- little tradition of local self-government
- society was more authoritarian
- with stricter class divisions
- whites were vastly outnumbered
Latin American Revolutions
 Creole elites had revolution thrust upon them by
events in Europe
- 1808: Napoleon invaded Spain and Portugal, put
royal authority in disarray
- Latin Americans were forced to take action
- most of Latin America was independent by 1826
 Longer process than in North America
- Latin American societies were torn by class, race, and
regional divisions
- fear of social rebellion from below
- most people in society were exploited and oppressed
A Delicate Balancing Act
 Leaders of independence movements appealed to the
lower classes in terms of nativism: all free people born
in the Americas were Americanos
- in reality, natives and blacks did not benefit much
 It proved impossible to unite the various Spanish
colonies, unlike the United States
 After Latin American Independence
- United States grew wealthier and more democratic,
- Latin American countries became increasingly
underdeveloped, impoverished, undemocratic, and
unstable
Simon Bolivar – The Liberator
Bolivar liberated most of
South America.
Echoes of Revolution
 Smaller revolutions took place in Europe in 1800’s
- led to greater social equality and liberation from
foreign rule
- by 1914, major states of Western Europe, the United
States, and Argentina had universal male suffrage
- even in Russia, there was a constitutional movement
in 1825
- abolitionist, nationalist, and feminist movements
arose to question other patterns of exclusion and
oppression
Abolition of Slavery
 Largely ended between 1790-1890
- Enlightenment thinkers – critical of slavery
- Religious groups – Protestants, Quakers also critical
 Brazil – last Latin American country to abolish in 1888
 Emancipation usually did not lead to improved
conditions. i.e. sharecropping in US
Abolitionist Movements
Nationalism
 These movements brought the idea of a “nation”
- humans are divided into separate nations, each with
a distinct culture and territory and deserving an
independent political life
- foreign rule is now regarded as heinous
- loyalty shifted from clans, villages and regions to
nations
- science weakened religion
 Napoleon’s conquests brought about national
resistance
Types of Nationalism
 Political unification in 1800’s, Germany, Italy
 “civic nationalism” identified the “nation” with a
particular territory, encouraged assimilation
 some defined the nation in racial terms
(e.g., Germany)
 nationalism was not limited to Europe
German Racial Purity Chart
Feminist Beginnings
 Feminist movements in Europe/USA in 19th century
- changed the relationship between women/men
- during the French Revolution, some women argued
that liberty and equality must include women
- more educational opportunities and less household
drudgery for middle-class women
- women increasingly joined temperance movements,
charities, abolitionist movements, missionary work,
etc.
Women’s Movement by 1900
 Some women had been admitted to universities
 Women’s literacy rates were rising
 Some U.S. states passed laws allowing women to control
their property and wages
 Some areas liberalized divorce laws
 Some women made their way into new professions
- teaching
- nursing (professionalized by Florence Nightingale)
- social work (Jane Addams)
 1893: New Zealand was the first to grant universal female
suffrage
Florence Nightengale