Political Revolutions Part 1

Political Revolutions Part 1

Political Revolutions

•  ______ – which is a sudden or significant change in the old ways of doing things.

•  Revolutions can occur in many areas, such as government, technology, or art.

American Revolution

•  Philosophes such as Voltaire considered England’s government the most progressive in Europe.

•  The ______of 1688 had given England a constitutional monarchy. In essence, this meant that various laws limited the power of the English king.

•  A growing number of England’s colonists in North America accused England of tyrannical rule.

•  Emboldened by Enlightenment ideas, they would attempt to overthrow what was then the mightiest power on earth and create their own nation.

Britain and Its American Colonies

The American Colonies Grow

·  American colonies grow large and populous during 1600s, 1700s

·  Colonies thrive economically through trade with Europe

·  Britain’s ______restricts that trade (1651) other trade laws add restrictions, taxes

·  Colonists identify less and less as British subjects

British–Colonial Tensions Arise

·  Britain, American colonies win ______in 1763

·  Britain taxes colonists to help pay war debts

·  Colonists argue that British cannot tax them without their consent

Growing Hostility Leads to War

·  Colonists protest tea tax with “______” in 1773

·  Colonists meet in Philadelphia to address British policies (1774)

·  British and Americans exchange fire at Lexington and Concord in 1775

Americans Win Independence

The Influence of the Enlightenment

·  Colonial leaders push for independence, rely on Enlightenment ideas

·  ______—document justifying colonial rebellion

·  Leader ______ writes Declaration, uses ideas of Locke.

Success for the Colonists

·  Despite British military might, colonists have advantages:

o  motivating cause of freedom

o  French assistance

o  war’s expense for Britain

·  British surrender at Yorktown in 1781; colonists win the war

Americans Create A Republic

The Federal System

·  Constitution creates three branches of government

·  Provides ______—ensures branches share power equally

·  Promotes ______—power divided between nation and states

The Bill of Rights

·  Some fear too much national power, few protections of rights

·  Leaders win support for Constitution by adding a ______:

o  ten amendments to Constitution that protect freedoms

French Revolution

•  In the 1700s, France was considered the most advanced country of Europe. It had a large population and a prosperous foreign trade.

•  It was the center of the Enlightenment, and France’s culture was widely praised and imitated by the rest of the world.

•  However, the appearance of success was deceiving.

The Old Regime

·  ______—social and political system in France during the 1770s

·  ______—three social classes of France’s Old Regime

The Privileged Estates

·  First Estate—______—own 10 percent land, pay few taxes

·  Second Estate—______—2 percent population, own 20 percent land

·  The Third Estate

•  97 percent of people are peasants, urban workers, middle class

•  Have few privileges, pay heavy taxes, want change

French Revolution Continues

Enlightenment Ideas

·  Enlightenment ideas inspire some in Third Estate

Economic Troubles

·  High taxes and rising costs damage economy by 1780s

·  King ______and his wife Marie Antoinette known for extravagance

·  Louis doubles nation’s debt; banks refuse to lend more money

The National Assembly

·  Third Estate has little power under old rules

·  Third Estate sets up ______—new legislature to make reforms

·  Tennis Court Oath—delegates decide to write new constitution for France

Storming the Bastille

·  Rumors fly in Paris that Louis wants to suppress National Assembly

·  Mob attacks and seizes Bastille, killing guards on July 14, 1789