There are many key factors to form the spark that lights any revolution. For the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775-1781, and the French Revolution from 1789-1799, the factors were incredibly similar and influential to each other. The American Revolution consisted of the American colonies fighting for independence from the British; the French Revolution instead was formed by French people fight- ing for more rights and a stronger, democratic leader. While there were clear differ- ences in the specific events of the revolutions, it is undeniable that the American Revolution and the French Revolution were intertwined in their motives and causes that were fought for, and that both were incredibly important in the timeline of his- tory.
While, of course, being under the British rule did many great things for the develop- ment of America, it came with its downsides, and as the years went by, the Ameri- cans began to see more and more of the cons. Firstly, and probably the most rele- vant reason for revolting, was the fact that they were taxed without representation. After the British fought against France in the French and Indian War, it left Great Britain in severe debt. And of course, the king at the time, King George III, decided that in order for Great Britain to get back on their feet, they would tax the American colonies. The Americans were outraged, and with good reason. There was no one in Britain fighting for those colonies, and while in the past, when the colonies were weak and small without the British, it was harder to complain. However, at this time, the colonies have learned to live as their own country, and they were ready for offi- cially declared independence.
The events of the American revolution occurred before the French, but because of how the Americans showed their nationalism and bravery, it showed the French it was possible to grow out of their current living situations. The way that France was run during this time was an absolute monarchy, and the people of France did not have an equal way of living. The country was socially divided into three Estates, and while the Third Estate was not only the poorest but also made up most of the coun- try, they were taxed more than anyone else. The wealthy were not forced to pay taxes, and that caused peasants to have to pay more than half their income in taxes. This was another issue of taxation without representation, but this time it was in their own country. Out of the many people that began to form some revolutionary thinking, it was mostly if not all consisting of the poor. Many were protesting their extremely weak, indecisive leader, and many were also fighting for their right to have representation and be taxed equally according to what they could provide the government without hurting themselves.
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While of course there are clear similarities in the events that directly caused both of these revolutions, they would not have happened without the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment encouraged people to fight for themselves, believing that things on Earth can get better. During the Enlightenment, many works were published by bril- liant philosophes, and many of these explored different ways that a country can be run. These challenged the long-standing accepted use of an absolute monarchy. An example is Baron de Montesquieu broadcasting the way that England was run at the time, with the separation of powers. This ended up turning into how America is run today; the use of a legislative branch, an executive branch, and a judicial branch be- ing proven as an effective way to run a government. In fact, the American Constitu- tion completely came from Enlightenment thinkers, forming what would eventually be an incredibly strong democratic government. The Enlightenment taught people the very important lesson that their voice not only matters, but deserves to be heard, and the entire world continues to benefit from those ideas today as we con- tinue shaping history.
Both of these revolutions not only changed the countries and how the people in America and France live, but they also added onto how the Enlightenment chal- lenged so many long-standing governmental beliefs. These revolutions, while costly, bloody, and difficult, were necessary for the development of those two countries and the rest of the world. Just like how the American Revolution inspired the French to perform their advocacy, these revolutions did that for the rest of the world, strengthening nationalistic ideals and moving history in an entirely new direction.
