The Atlantic Revolutions form 1750-1914 created widespread movements and connected the globe by sharing common ideas. Since 1914, the ideals of human society from the Atlantic Revolutions, such as independence, political changes, and freedoms for all, are confirmed by society’s constant attempt to attain such values. Those ideals set the foundation of modern society and maintain to be an essential characteristic of society’s evolvement. Prominently, the fight for independence shaped the Atlantic Revolutions. This desire for independence stemmed from the concepts of democracy, nationalism, and popular sovereignty. The ideas behind the struggle for independence developed with the European Enlightenment. Thus, for example, in America, the …show more content…
Essentially, revolutions provide the basis for the generation of freedom and independence. Equally important, the Atlantic Revolutions sparked the development of different political institutions. Initially, most revolutions began with the desire for further democracy. But, in some individual societies, this political idea transformed into different systems. After the French Revolution demonstrated the impact of human action, communism began to rise. To illustrate, communism in Russia was inspired by Karl Marx and surfaced with the pursuit of economic and political equality. Socialism stems from democracy because both political parties benefit the general public. However, socialism and communism are like extreme forms of democracy as they are established for the people; democracy is built by the people. In another case, communism also emerged in China. Chairman Mao Zedong’s rule resulted in extractive political and economic institutions. Because of this, China was still able to grow. This “authoritarian growth” can be described as a “bird in a cage”: “China’s economy was the bird; the party’s control, the cage, had to be enlarged to make the bird healthier and more dynamic, but it could not be unlocked or removed, lest the bird fly away” (Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson, 438). By this, the cage is able to expand but the bird is still limited from achieving true freedom. These political changes fostered equality
The American Revolution, mostly known as the War of Independence, arose from tensions between the residents of Great Britain´s 13 colonies and the British crown. The colonies´ desire to obtain independence from the people that started their civilization was followed by a series of riots that led to a full-scale war. Indeed, the fight towards independence followed seven years of senseless war. (McCurdy, 516)
It was during the late half of the eighteenth century that would experience a series of turbulence across the Atlantic World. In a time that can be called an era of revolution, the Atlantic World faced a multitude of uprisings. The American Revolution in 1765 would be the start of the age of revolutions, and would later inspire the revolutions of other countries across the Atlantic, such as the French Revolution in 1789, the Haitian Revolution in 1791, and later the Latin American Revolutions during the early nineteenth century. The events of these revolutions created shockwaves across the Atlantic that would bring new developments that had a lasting impact on the world. However, since slavery was an integral part to what had transpired in
In the late 1700’s, the main conflict throughout the Atlantic was freedom to all. This period showed many views from different people in ways in which they tried to express the word. People in the America’s and eastern nations such as France were trying to rebuild their nations with an idea that all men are created equal, that they are given the right not from authority, but by birth. From the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” in France which was their laws to give men freedom, to a wealthy man in Venezuela named Simon Bolivar who helped free his country from Spanish rule only to struggle with making his country a federation after the destruction, you see that freedom is hard to concur. Independence cannot only be observed
There are many different crucial sources that demonstrate the global influences of Atlantic revolutionary movements and Enlightenment views on human rights. Enlightenment philosophies of government and human rights ignited the revolutionary transformation in all of the Atlantic world. Political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic wanted to incorporate European Enlightenment concepts into their societies. Revolutions began to build on one another, taking the different ideas from other regions and implementing them into their own societies. The American, French, Spanish and Haitian revolutions triggered the development of new human rights all around the world.
The study of the Atlantic as an interwoven community is a relatively new theory. Historians are beginning to see Atlantic History as “a sudden and harsh encounter between two old worlds that transformed both and integrated them into a single New World” , and not just separate entities with detached pasts. Atlantic History: Concept and Contours by Bernard Bailyn lays the framework for what Atlantic History is and how it should be studied. Bailyn states that the reasoning behind writing the book is that previous historians focus too much on the imperial history of the Atlantic world, when in fact the colonized areas had just as much of an effect on European powers as Europe had on their colonies. In this concise two part book, Bailyn’s main argument is that the concept of Atlantic History was inevitable because it is impossible to look at any major event of this time period without seeing its effects ripple throughout the entire Atlantic world.
While many historians might argue that the American Revolution was not so revolutionary in its nature, there is no denying the lasting effects that it has had not only on the continent, but the world. Through an analysis of documents from this period and the social, political, and economic changes that occurred in the colonies, it is clear that the colonial governmental system was radically changed during this time period. The political ideas that emerged from this revolution have shaped modern democratic governments for years, coupled with the advancement of other Enlightenment ideals.
What if you were never born because America never broke away from England, or because the French never revolted, or because women never questioned their rights? Had any of the Atlantic Revolutions never happened, the lives that we live today would have been very different. If the Atlantic Revolutions never happened, the likelihood of us having empires, instead of nations, would be much higher. These were all results of the Atlantic Revolutions. The Atlantic Revolutions all stemmed from the American revolution. Because of the American Revolution, the French revolted against the crown, and people started to think more about equality. And because of both those revolutions, women began to question
Enlightenment ideas helped the Americans fight against British rule and create a new nation. With the fight for their new nation came the Declaration of Independence. This document is based on the beliefs of John Locke. John’s teachings mostly focused on self-government and natural rights. John Locke Believed that everyone was created equal with the same three natural rights. The Declaration of Independence argued for natural rights and equality as well. The Declaration of Independence was influenced by Locke’s idea of Equal rights and self-government. They liked the idea of a Democracy, the rule of the people. The United States’ Declaration of Independence states. The American colonist separated from Britain because King George 3rd was not governing the people correctly. For example, he created “Taxation without Representation”. Taxation without Representation is when the American Colonist were being taxed unfairly. John Locke believed the government was there to protect the people, and if they were not being protected they have the right to rebel against the ruler. This is exactly what the American colonist did. The document by the colonies declaring separation from Britain, stated. John Locke’s beliefs of self-government influenced the colonies to rebel and become it’s own
From 1763 to 1783, ideas about American independence evolved from wanting representation and say in government to wanting full independence from Britain. An idea is defined as a thought or concept present because of a conscious mental understanding, awareness, or activity. The idea of self-government, harsh British rule and law of nature arise during 1763-1772 due to enlightenment ideas and taxation by Britain, these ideas lead to change in the concept of American independence. By 1775, different factors have separated Patriots and Loyalists, again, evolving and influencing the idea of American independence. Patriotic and Loyalist separation was still present, but, by 1776, the American Revolution had again changed the concept of American independence.
The American independence movement that developed during the mid-18th century was aimed not only at separation from Britain but also at the establishment of a different kind of political system — a representative government. The ideas of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening both contributed to the colonists' growing desire for political independence. These movements also influenced the
Economic turmoil modeled the main reason for declaring independence. The controversy started with England’s legislation that were enforced on colonists in North America. One of the legislation that sparked
Atlantic Revolution consisted of the North American Revolution, the French revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and the Spanish American Revolution. The French Revolution was one of the eras of great disruption through Europe. French Revolution was closely connected with North American Revolution. Thousands of French soldiers provided assistance to the American colonies. When the French soldiers returned home, they were full of republican enthusiasm. After helping the American Colonies, France was on the edge of bankruptcy and had long pursued reforms that would renovate the tax system and make it more justifiable. This new system reduced the incomes of the ordinary men and women, but they raised the price of bread. In result of this there was a rapid increase of unemployment. Peasants were exposed to a variety of hated fees forced by their landlords, taxes, duties to the Church, and were required to work without pay on the public roads. These conflicts, in the first five years, gave the French Revolution a much more violent, far reaching, and radical
The other factor that increased as soon as we became independent was our emergence of American nationalism. It was here that we believed that we need to assert our dominance as the world power and spread the American culture. We promoted the cultural unity of Americans. It was American nationalism that brought the 13 colonies together against Britain in the first place. These are just two of the many things that came out of the American
The Atlantic Revolutions and its revolutionaries took pride in ideals that they didn’t actually come up with nevertheless these ideas shaped the Americas that we live in today. Even though America as a continent still has a lot to work on to achieve social equality and tolerance it has come a long way. Today, the ideals of these men shape our systems of government , our laws and how we live life hopefully it will continue to evolve and progress through the
Often called “the People’s Spring”, the Revolutions of 1848 marked a time of political and social turmoil widespread across the European continent. It is during this time we see monarchies overthrown, the formation of new countries, and “radical ideologies” such as Nationalism, and Liberalism become the beliefs of the middle-class. The populations of European countries were growing at a rate never seen before. The masses started becoming agitated with the current monarchial system of government ruling across Europe in the nineteenth-century, and wanted change that would bring about individual freedom and equality. It is well known that the Revolutions of 1848 were multi-casual, and that there was not just one factor that can be