18th Century Revolutions: America and France
The First Break: The American Revolution: Origins of the Conflict
In the 18th century, Britain had six colonies in eastern North America. The conflict between settlers and Great Britain, called the 13 colonies, is known as the American Revolution. The conflict ended with the independence of the first New England colonies. King George III attempted to establish a number of laws to regulate colonial taxes, but the response of the colonies was to protest and boycott English products. The English government established a monopoly on the tea trade, which could ruin American merchants. These merchants, disguised as Indians, attacked some boats loaded with British tea in the harbor of Boston (Boston Tea Party).
The War of Independence (1775-1783)
In 1774, representatives of the 13 colonies gathered at the First Continental Congress and produced a Declaration of Rights. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, outlining the principles of national sovereignty, division of powers, and voting. This was the basis for the United States Declaration of Independence. The settlers were aided by France and Spain. The colonists’ victories at Yorktown led to the signing of the Peace of Versailles.
The Legacy of the American Revolution
From the Constitution of 1787, the new political order was organized. The state had a federal structure. George Washington was the first president. The legislative power rests with the Congress, composed of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The judiciary fell on the Supreme Court. The American Revolution was very influential. The Constitution of 1787 was the first enacted in the world.
The Outbreak of the French Revolution: The Situation in France Before the Revolution
France faced serious problems. Society was divided into estates, where the nobility and clergy had privileges. An economic crisis affected the prices of basic products like bread, creating a climate of rebellion. A financial deficit was caused by increasing costs from the American war. The cause of the deficit was that the privileged classes paid no taxes. King Louis XVI was losing support among the people.
The Meeting of the Estates-General
Louis XVI’s ministers tried to stop the economic crisis by ending the privileged classes’ exemption from paying taxes. The king summoned an assembly of notables, but they refused to pay taxes. The king was left with the alternative of summoning the Estates-General, the French estates courts. Minister Necker doubled the number of representatives of the Third Estate in the Estates-General in an attempt to curb the power of the privileged. In the spring of 1789, the Estates-General met at Versailles.
The Beginning of the French Revolution
In the Estates-General, the nobility and clergy wanted to vote by estate. Members of the Third Estate defended the vote per person, which gave them a majority. In July, the representatives of the Third Estate became known as the National Assembly, considered the only legitimate representatives of France. The king and the privileged tried to leave the courtroom occupied, but the deputies gathered in the Jeu de Paume, where they swore to remain together until they drafted a constitution. The National Assembly was renamed the Constituent Assembly. On July 14, 1789, Parisian citizens rallied and stormed the Bastille, a symbol of absolutism. From that moment, the institutional revolution ran parallel to the popular revolution.