American and French Revolutions: Causes and Impacts

American Revolution (1775-1783)

The American Revolution (1775-1783) was a period in which the 13 colonies on the Atlantic side of North America won independence from Great Britain and became the United States of America (USA). Americans complained that they had to pay high taxes to Great Britain but were given no political representation.

Immediate Causes of the French Revolution

• Unemployment increase
• Market went into recession
• Cost of living doubled
• American War of Independence
• Payment failures

Key Events of the French Revolution

The Beginning

In 1789, the Estates General finally met. There were 291 representatives of the Church, 270 nobles, and 578 of the Third Estate. They immediately asked to change the voting system, at least to one person, one vote.

The Girondin Convention

The Marseillaise, a voluntary soldier's song in these wars, soon became the anthem and slogan of the revolution.

French Revolution and Napoleon

In 1808, a new conflict, called the War of Independence, broke out. Napoleon conquered Spain on his way to Portugal, but many Spanish guerrillas appeared. This became worse when Napoleon deposed the Spanish royals and put his brother, Jose Bonaparte (Pepe Botella), on the Spanish throne. In 1812, they wrote a constitution (La Pepa) for Spain; they wanted a liberal system of government but without the French.

About Napoleon

He was an extraordinary man, with charisma and military genius. He made history by spreading revolutionary ideas and institutions.

At the Congress of Vienna (1814-15), the four major powers that had defeated Napoleon - Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain - set out with the intention of reversing the "Napoleon effect." To do this, they:

• Returned the frontiers of France to their old pre-1789 boundaries.
• Restored legitimate monarchs to every European country.
• Tried to create a balance of power to avoid another Napoleon.

In 1799, after a coup d'état by Napoleon, the Directory was abolished. The era of the French Revolution had finished, and the era of Napoleon started with the Consulate.

Napoleon (1799-1815)

Napoleon's rule had two different periods: the Consulate and the Empire. Napoleon declared himself emperor of the French in 1804. Napoleon eventually came to control almost all of Europe. Napoleon began the Grande Armée, 650,000 soldiers, 600,000 died.