...The English Revolution was a period of armed conflict and political turmoil between 1642 and 1660. This included the execution of the Charles 1st, the rise of the Commonwealth followed by the Protectorate under Cromwell and then the eventual restoration of the Monarchy. Richardson is correct to state that the events that occurred were “inherently controversial… momentous and far reaching” which are still debated today. This debate rages on whether these events can constitute a Revolution. It is dependent on what definition of the word Revolution is enacted. Historians such as Jeff Goodwin provide interpretations of what it means to have a Revolution, which shall be further explored, however what ultimately accounts is how the events and interpretations of the time fit into these interpretations. Ultimately there are two ways to look at Revolution, firstly there is the struggle or initial violent uprisings of the populous against the established state. The other way of looking at a revolution is to also examine the more long term changes or effects in the mind-set of the contemporise. In other words the changes in the way men think. Richardson pushes the idea of the initial struggle constituting a Revolution whereas others such as Hill believe that the long-term effects are more significant. Both arguments both valid against differing definitions of Revolution. Similarities between the French and English Revolutions will also provide a stark comparison of the English situation...
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...The Glorious Revolution established the first Constitutional Monarchy and Created the Bill of Rights. The English Bill of Rights states that the English people believe in toleration with other religions, the government is not totally controlled by the Royal family, taxations needs consent of the Parliament, and allows the freedom of speech to members of Parliament. The Britans had the expectations of self government when they came to the American colonies. Due to the American Revolution these ideas from the Enlightenment were put into practice to make the government United States now has today. The American revolution brought the basic principles of the government that we have today: popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review and federalism. The concept of popular sovereignty comes from the ideas that Locke and Hobbes synthesized during the Enlightenment of State of Nature. State of Nature state's political power comes from the people and should be given to other people or another person. Furthermore, limited government requires a social contact in the United States’ case it would be the Constitution. A social contract expects the people to obey the laws, contribute to...
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...Revolutions Unit Paper Alex Koscick March 4,2012 Revolutions Paper Between the French, English, and American Revolutions, there were likes and dislikes between why they occurred in the first place, and how they came to an end. This paper will compare and contrast these wars, and help explain these likes and dislikes. One of the first similarities in why these great Revolutions begun, is that the people were unanimously angered by something that their government had done, (Monarchies in this situation.) The second similarity of the cause of these revolutions is that they the common folk felt that they weren't even within their rights to make their own choices, or that they didn't have a voice in their government. The third similarity in the causes of these revolutions is that all of these countries had enough people, to be able to make a large impression if they rose up. I believe myself that if they didn't have the forces to execute such an uprising, they probably wouldn't have even tried to take down their respective government/monarchy. Some general similarities, not necessarily based on causes and effects, are the following. All of the Revolutions discussed, were fought by the common people. All overthrew a monarchy ( King & Queen.) These next following sentences will explain some of the different reasons that the Revolutions discussed were caused. Singularly, one of the main reasons the English Revolution began was due to the fact there was an heir...
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...American Revolution was caused by problems with religion, government, finances, freedom, and rights. All of these subjects have been presented earlier during the enlightenments, the glorious revolution, the English Civil War, and stand in the English Bill of rights which later set the basis for our country today. Without the thinkers that the Scottish enlightenment produced, our modern government wouldn’t be the way that it remains today. If it wasn’t for the English Bill of Rights, the constitution would not exist. All of the causes listed above play a part in the American Revolution, which would later result in the creation of the United States of America. Maybe the most influential character came out of the enlightenment, his name...
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...having to many laws being restricted on to the colonists’ and having to many freedoms being eliminated, the colonists started to build up anger and aggravations. Which soon lead to two revolutions breaking out: The Glorious Revolution and The American Revolution. The American Revolution happened in 1775 by the colonists’ who wanted freedom from British Rules. The independence they desired sparked a rebellion, but what truly sparked the rebellious flame happened during the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. It was the first act of insubordination against the Royal Government , which make these two revolutionary wars the most interesting piece of history. These two revolution wars did share a few characteristics; they both wanted to reduce the power of the Monarch and focused on some extend of democracy and they both hated James II. However, these two-revolutionary wars are not the same at all. In fact, they differ from each other and...
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...HISTORY 1500 WINTER 2014 RESEARCH ESSAY TOPICS 1. Select a crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution...
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...There were several causes and effects of the upheavals and new ideologies that occurred after the French Revolution and during the Industrial Revolution. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna met and set up a system of checking other nations in order to prevent one nation from holding too much European power as France had under Napoleon. These checks on nations led to relative peace. Checks that were placed on France led to increased Belgian and Dutch territory as well as small Prussian territorial gains. In order to create a balance of power, the Congress of Vienna also increased Austrian and Russian territory. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, he returned to France to briefly rule again. His defeat at Waterloo led to the European Congress...
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...American colonists as a way to express its authority over them, not because it needed. the money. Colonists protested the Sugar Act and Stamp Act as violations of their rights as Americans. Colonists protested the Tea Act because it threatened to raise the price of tea. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____ 6. _____ 7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading Chapter 3 you should be able to: 1. 2. Define the basic assumptions of the British colonial system and describe its operation. Assess the impact of the Great Awakening and Enlightenment on the spiritual and intellectual life of the colonies. 42 3. 4. 5. Describe the relationship between the French and Indian War and the coming of the American Revolution. Trace the course of key events...
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...The American Revolution: The American rebellion known as the American Revolution has many different factors. A lot of political influences existed, it was primarily an economic rebellion, because of conflict over taxation and representation in Parliament. The colonists had strong beliefs that the English government was unfair and often tyrannical. The conflicts over trade, taxes, and government representation brought about the revolution that began shaping the United States as it is today. There were many economic influences on the American Revolution, these were not the primary causes. The colonists believed that the king, King George III controlled the colonies more than he should.. The Declaration of Independence shows this, declaring the United States free from "absolute Tyranny over the States." To add to this conflict, British forces were attempting to intimidate the colonists into submission. The colonist's attitude towards this policy was that it only gave them more cause and justification for violence.. In 1775, the colonists took up arms against the British troops in the colonies. They met at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Although these political conflicts were occurring simultaneously, the economic influences were greater.. The colonists couldn't even afford to pay many of the taxes imposed on them. The Stamp Act, for example, taxed practically everything imaginable. The British finally repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but they immediately replaced...
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...Napoleon, after the French Revolution ends, takes power of the French state and becomes emperor of France. The people are fine with this because Napoleon is conquering many foreign lands across Europe and even many other parts of the world. He becomes too powerful in his quest for world domination, and the French and many other countries do not like the amount of power this one man has. Also, before this time Oliver Cromwell had deemed himself “consul for life” of England, and that also upset the people, and the others feel as if Napoleon is becoming like Cromwell maybe even worse. The people decided and feel that the absolute power of one man creates problems for everyone including the nobility and clergy. As a result, the Congress of Vienna is formed, consisting of many countries in Europe, they are created to make sure that in the future not one single monarch or country can control more than they should. Also, the people overthrew The Directory, because it was a strong dictatorship and failed at efforts to establish stable representative government. The Enlightenment ideas were tested and proved to be hazardous for the French, and that is what overall caused the challenging of these...
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...POLI 204 April 12, 2010 The Thunderous Reverberations of a Quiet Revolution Quebec and Canada have always had a unique province-country relationship since the British North America Act of 1867. The local French-speakers, being a conquered people, have had to deal with the predicament of being a minority in their country and continent, and the years ever since the Quiet Revolution exemplify this notion. As noted by Pierre Anctil, “l'État du Québec servirait de rampe de lancement a partir de 1960, sous l'impulsion dynamique du gouvernement libéral de Jean Lesage, a un ensemble de reformes connu sous le nom de Révolution tranquille.” (189). Due to the changes and sovereign ideas brought about by the “Révolution tranquille”, a unified Canada will only be conceivable once the nationalist movement absolves. A Hartzian approach will aid in understanding the pre-revolution status of Quebec. To be able to comprehend the views of both the Canadian Federalist and the Quebec sovereigntist, a historical overview must be performed. Ever since General Wolf's victory over General Montcalm at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the French speaking population of Lower Canada and what is now Quebec, have lived the lives of a conquered people. This fact has, throughout the years, prevented the gelling of the French and the English into one nation. As set out by Lord Durham in 1839, the situation in Quebec has, for the longest time, been seen as "two nations warring in the bosom of a single...
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...War of Independence or a Revolution? It should be understood that without understanding the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution, one cannot grasp the history of the United State. The American Revolution was the political commotion during the end of the eighteenth century. The thirteen North American colonies united to break free of the British Empire and become a new nation; The United State of America. A revolution can be defined as, the change in power or the constitution stirring in a relatively short period of time. Aristotle described revolution as complete change from one constitution to another (Sinclair 190). And this is precisely what happened two centuries ago in the United State. But the question needed to be answered is, was the American War of Independence really a war for independence or a revolution? The American War of Independence (1775–1783) was a climax in the political American Revolution rather than just a war for independence, ideologically influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers and writers of the Great Britain. Benjamin Rush remarked in 1787, "The American war is over, but this is far from being the case with the American Revolution. On the contrary, nothing but the first act of the great drama is closed." 2 This drama staged in the Pennsylvania State House in summer of 1776 remains the only most important chapter in the archives of American Revolution. Although, the political atmosphere in France during...
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...spread their ideas. There were many prominent figures who associate with the Enlightenment’s four major conceptual views of empiricism, skepticism, humanitarianism, and progress. The Enlightenment’s four major concepts and its prominent figures justified the American and French revolutions, but one of the revolutions took the concepts to a greater extreme. John Locke was a prominent figure is the philosophy of empiricism. John Locke’s philosophy and the aftermath of the “Glorious Revolution” influenced the American and French revolutions. After the “Glorious Revolution” in 1688, the English...
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...The American Revolution: The American rebellion known as the American Revolution has many different factors. A lot of political influences existed, it was primarily an economic rebellion, because of conflict over taxation and representation in Parliament. The colonists had strong beliefs that the English government was unfair and often tyrannical. The conflicts over trade, taxes, and government representation brought about the revolution that began shaping the United States as it is today. There were many economic influences on the American Revolution, these were not the primary causes. The colonists believed that the king, King George III controlled the colonies more than he should.. The Declaration of Independence shows this, declaring the United States free from "absolute Tyranny over the States." To add to this conflict, British forces were attempting to intimidate the colonists into submission. The colonist's attitude towards this policy was that it only gave them more cause and justification for violence.. In 1775, the colonists took up arms against the British troops in the colonies. They met at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Although these political conflicts were occurring simultaneously, the economic influences were greater.. The colonists couldn't even afford to pay many of the taxes imposed on them. The Stamp Act, for example, taxed practically everything imaginable. The British finally repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but they immediately replaced...
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...Why and What Do We Compare? The Story of Revolution and Democratization Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University Introduction The field of comparative politics starts with the assumption that knowledge in the social sciences must proceed by way of the search for comparisons, or what has been called "suggestive contrasts." Scholars of comparative politics compare in order to discover similarities and explain differences. As infrequent and highly complex events, revolutions have attracted a great deal of attention from comparativists. In this article, we will address the following topics: • The Concept of Revolution • Why Revolutions Happen? • Can Revolutions be Predicted? • What Do Revolutions Accomplish? • What Are some of the Failures of Revolutions? • Comparing Characteristics and Outcomes of Some Revolutions • Questions The Concept of Revolution: According to the American philosopher Richard Rorty "revolution," like such other words as "reason," "democracy," and "socialism" is a "thick word" which can be contrasted with such "thin words" as truth, dialogue, and justice. How do we define a "revolution?" How are revolutions distinct from other forms of political change such as Coup d'état, rebellion, mutiny, insurrection, or uprising? All of the above nouns may denote acts of violence aimed at changing or overthrowing an existing order or authority. However, there are important legal and political differences among them as well. ...
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