The causes and
consequences of the
American and French
Revolutions
Why do nations revolt?
What happens when they do?
American Causes - Political
• The American colonists disliked the lack of political
control they had over their land.
• The political power rested in England with the King
and the Parliament, where the colonies had no
representation.
• The colonists wanted to have members in the
Parliament or their own decision making bodies in
the colonies.
• The British govt. refused to compromise and was
unable to satisfy the concerns of the colonists in a
satisfactory manner.
American Causes - Economic
• The British govt. weighed down by debts from wars
both on the American continent and at home, tried to
limit colonial expansion because their feared the cost
of fight the Amerindians.
• Colonists were frustrated by the limitation imposed
and sought to bring change.
• The largest cause of the revolt was taxes.
• American colonists did not believe that the British
govt. had the right to raise taxes in the colonies on
their whim.
• Boycotts and protests further weakened Britain’s
trading in the colonies.
French and American Causes
Intellectual
• The Enlightenment heavily influenced the American and
French Revolutions.
• Using scientific method to understand human behavior, E
thinkers began to challenge traditional viewpoints on
religion and politics.
• John Locke believed that govts. were created to protect
life, liberty, and property, and if they did not he believed
that the people had a right to rebel.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that the will of the
people was sacred and the legitimacy of the monarch was
dependent on the consent of the people.
• Both Enlightenment thinkers’ works were popular with the
middle classes in the US and France and their ideas were
instrumental in beginning change.
French Causes - Political
• The consequences of the rule of absolutism under Louis
XIV had descended upon Louis XVI.
• Years of costly wars and extravagant government
spending left the French govt. on the verge of
bankruptcy.
• Few were satisfied with the kings rule - the 1st and 2nd
Estates wanted to gain more power and the 3rd Estate
wanted a voice in govt.
• Led by the middle class lawyers and merchants, the
third estate began to call for political reform.
• Unable to gain reform, they moved towards revolution by
declaring themselves the National Assembly.
French Causes - Economic
• French society was dealing with a serious economic
crisis that the nobles refused to solve by paying taxes.
• The government was broke, people were starving, and
the calling of the Estates General proved to be the last
straw.
• The nobility refused to pay taxes though they and the
clergy had the most money.
• The Third Estate which made up 97% of the
population shouldered the financial burden and
refused to continue to .
• Bad harvest and starvation spurred them on.
French Causes - Social
• At the time of the Revolution, France was divided into
3 Estates - the First Estate, the Clergy, the Second
Estate, the nobility, and the Third Estate, the
commoners.
• The First and Second Estate had many privileges and
the Third Estate was left with the financial burden of
the country though they were the poorest of the three
estates.
• The Third Estate was hardest hit by the poor harvests
and crop yields and the peasantry, which amounted to
80% of the population, was forced into beggary and
prostitution to survive.
Course and Consequence
• With fewer class issues to keep them apart, the
colonists of the American Revolution are able to unite
against a foreign power and are successful in creating
an enduring democracy.
• The French, on the other hand, are marred by a lack
of unity and an inability to solve the crucial economic,
political, and social concerns.
• The French revolution lasts from 1789-1812 and in the
end the Congress of Vienna reinstates the monarchy
under Louis XVIII.
• For 23 years, chaos has ruled France and in the end
they have little to show for it. Thousands have died
and little change actually occurred.