1. the french revolution began less than two decades after the american revolution. in many ways, the american experience was an inspiration for the citizens of france. but the people of the two countries had different situations and had different concerns, which influenced the way each revolution began, progressed, and ended. in this assignment you will write an essay that compares and contrasts the two revolutions. in your essay, include information on the economic, political, or social conditions that were present; events that took place as each revolution progressed; and the final outcome of each. did the people achieve their original goals? did their goals change? were they satisfied with the outcome or did conditions worsen? to begin, consider the characteristics of each country, such as the following: the status of ordinary citizens before the revolution the type of government in place the ability of the citizens to participate in their governance the people who stepped forward as leaders the taxes, laws, or social structure in place at the time the outcome of the revolution compared to its original goals

Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were influenced by the writings of Enlightenment philosophers. Their ideas promoted the rights of citizens and the people's authority to create--and to change--their own governments.  The American and French Revolutions sought to put those Enlightenment ideas into practice in creating new governments based on liberty and justice for all, and on the rights of man and of citizens.

The situations in America and in France prior to the revolutions were quite different, however.  In the American colonies, the colonists had been operating in a mostly self-governing mode for a long time.  The home government in Britain had practiced a policy of "salutary neglect," letting the colonies mostly run themselves.  That was seen as a better way of making the colonies profitable.  When Britain tried to imposed more control and more taxation on the colonies, that provoked the movement for independence as the United States of America.  The USA was helped by France in winning its war for independence against Britain.  France provided large financial support, as well as the involvement of some of its navy and military officers.  The American people benefited from the Revolution, forming a new, independent nation that established a stable form of government that has endured for more than two centuries.  Ordinary citizens who had been independent farmers and business owners were able to continue in an environment of free enterprise.  It should be noted, though, that slavery was part of the American colonies in the South, and so not all "ordinary citizens" profited in that sense, because slaves were not considered citizens.  It took the Civil War nearly 100 years after America's founding before the institution of slavery was removed and those formerly in slavery became citizens.

In France, "ordinary citizens" could describe a wide array of people prior to the French Revolution.  The 3rd Estate was the bulk of the people (98% of the population), all considered "commoners."  (The clergy and nobility were the 1st and 2nd Estates.)   So, an "ordinary citizen" could have been a wealthy, bourgeois wine merchant ... or a day laborer in the city ... or a peasant farmer. Socially, the peasants were on the bottom rung of society.  The country depended on agriculture to survive, yet the producers (the peasant farmers) got no real respect.  Economically they could barely scrape out a living, and heavy taxes and fees ate into any profit they might have made.  Politically, well, they pretty much just had the right to pay taxes and do the bidding of the nobility and monarchy.  They could be called out to build a road if the king said so.  The lands they farmed could be trampled by a noble's hunting party if the noble in that region wanted to go hunting.  The political, economic and social situations of city workers were similar to that of peasants.  Bourgeois merchant-class folks had much more economic advantage, but also were taxed heavily and slighted on political rights.

The French Revolution was a movement of the 3rd Estate (the bourgeoisie, city workers, and peasants) against the privileged classes of the nobility and the ranking clergy.  The Revolution initially established a constitutional monarchy to give more of the people more political rights.  Then the monarchy was abolished and the king and queen were executed.  France became fierce in its insistence on loyalty to the new French Republic -- to the point that people who were thought not fully loyal could be arrested or put to death.  So a Revolution that started out in defense of the rights of ordinary citizens led to a situation that infringed on the rights of citizens.  Over time, France was able to establish itself as a modern, democratic nation. But it took much time and was much more difficult to implement than it had been in America.  

France was trying to replace centuries-old traditions of society, whereas the American establishment of a new government was building on practices of self-government that had already existed in the colonies.

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