...The Haitian Revolution was the result of a long struggle on the part of the slaves in the French colony of St. Domingue, but was also propelled by the free Mulattoes who had long faced the trials of being denoted as semi-citizens. This revolt was not unique, as there were several rebellions of its kind against the institution of plantation slavery in the Caribbean, but the Haitian Revolution the most successful. This had a great deal to do with the influence of the French Revolution, as it helped to inspire events in Haiti. The Haitian Revolution would go on to serve as a model for those affected by slavery throughout the world. There were three distinct classes in St. Domingue. First, there were the Whites, who were in control. Then there were the free Mulattoes, who straddled a very tenuous position in Haitian society. While they enjoyed a degree of freedom, they were repressed by the conservative White power structure that recognized them only as being people of color. Next came the slaves who, in Haiti suffered under some of the harshest treatment found in the Caribbean. Slaves in Haiti were legally considered to be property of the public and with little choice, yielded obedience. The master provided for the barest necessities of life for his slave "while he secures himself from injury or insult by an appeal to the laws." (Source 1, p. 406) The conditions in Haiti at this time were ripe for a Revolution and the only thing lacking was the proper action, which would soon...
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...“When dictatorship becomes a fact, revolution becomes a right.” These words by Victor Hugo, a French poet, can be used to describe the French Revolution that took place in 1789. This revolution was coming for a long time before it actually took place, and the rebels behind the movement had several motives. Some of these motives included the oppression of the Third Estate of the Estate General, the lack of food and general resources in France, and the inspiration of the American Declaration of Independence. When the Estate General was called for the first time in years, when the pressure for reform was heavy in France, an injustice appeared. The Estate General was divided into three parts, the First Estate, which was comprised of the church...
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...The American, French, and the Haitian revolutions, which ranged from 1750 to 1914, can all be traced back to the same origins, the enlightenment thinkers. The ideas of natural rights, a social contract between the government and the people, separation of powers, checks and balances, and maybe the most important idea of them all, revolution all came from thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacque. But, although they might’ve had the same beginning that doesn’t mean their course of action was the same. The French Revolution, 1789-1815, the American Revolution, 1776-1783, and the Haitian Revolution, 1810-1825, might have all had the inspiration from the enlightenment thinkers, but their tack ticks...
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...Emily Deathridge Professor Hardy Western Civilization 242 February 22, 2013 Anatole France’s Mindset of the French Revolution Anatole France’s The Gods will have Blood took place in the late time period of the French Revolution. He used this story to depict the cultural and social impacts that this time period had upon the French society. All classes at this time were targeted and were given little to no cause of justification. France uses characters to portray this time era and their struggle for the embodiment of power and whether it is good or evil. Throughout The Gods will have Blood, Gamelin speaks of his beliefs within the revolution and on his trust within the ideas of Marat and Robespierre. He used the theme of violence that eventually helped progress into an inspiration leading to the Revolution. Throughout this novel, we find that Robespierre and Gamelin are two very influential people because not only do their actions characterize power, they show how power is a corrupting force when put in the hands of a few. During the years of the French Revolution there were blasts of changes that were being made that would perpetually change history. Anatole France’s The Gods will have Blood took place during the terrifying time of terror in which many were executed for the belief that it was justice to kill those who were no longer loyal to the Republic. This time period caused such a stir of emotions within society because it targeted anyone and showed little mercy....
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...their families, while the king allowed the nobility to not pay taxes and lounge round. Starvation lead the desperate people to start questioning the orders of the king, Louis XVI, whose absolutistic government began to look totalitarian to the starving people of the cities. Anyone who was wealthy, such as the nobles, were swept along into the rage of the mobs that revolted against the king and the Absolutist government. As long as the majority of people was kept satisfied peace would be kept, it was a fight for equality in taxation or the people of France. Putting pressure on the government could not work if the rules could be changed easily by one person, which is how Absolutism led to the revolution rather than reform that tore France’s power structure apart. The only reason the French rallied together was not just the absolutist...
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...The impact of the French Revolution on the twentieth century totalitarian systems. by Kinga K. Krajewska The French Revolution is one of the most significant events of the modern era. Not only has it changed a countenance of France, but it has also considerably affected the further history of Europe and the world. Nevertheless, the essence of its significance raises controversy among scholars. In a long tradition of historiography of the French Revolution there can be extracted several major concepts: the liberal approach represented by historians such as Alexis de Tocqeville or Francois Mignet, the Classic or Marxist interpretation, which considers the French upheaval as a 'bourgeois' revolution, and the Revisionism. The last-named has abolished the myth of the social interpretation and has brought a new conception of the Revolution as highly political. Probably the most influential revisionist work on the French Revolution is Francuas Furet's Penser la Revolution francaise (1978; English translation- Interpreting the French Revolution, 1981). It assumes the revolutionary events as remarkably anti-democratic and emphasises its connection with the totalitarian systems. The book has stated quite an innovative thesis, which has become an object of evaluation for both academics and the general public. Thus, this essay is to demonstrate the impact of the Revolution on the totalitarianism of the twentieth century and to indicate the major similarities as well as their...
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...AP COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY GRID name(s) Jason SNAPSHOT: Compare and Contrast The French & Haitian Revolution |INTRODUCTION | | | |Historical context (what, where, when) | |Haitian revolution & French Revolution (1789-1800’s) | |Thesis similarity | |Inspired by the enlightenment | |Thesis difference | |France overthrew monarchy (internal) Haiti overthrew imperialist power (external) ...
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...Political revolutions have a prolonged history of drastically altering the societal, political, and economic conditions of the states they take place in. The American Revolution was no exception to this rule. Thus, the events that took place within the war and subsequent political metamorphosis, from the defeat of the British to the final ratification of the Constitution, all work to restructure much of the characteristics of the states. The American Revolution revolutionized the states and the world by organizing the states together into a national republic and by proving globally that a colony could successfully gain and maintain its independence from its ruling state. However, the Revolution did not significantly alter the individual rights of many citizens, including those of African Americans and women, which largely stayed the same in the years immediately following the revolution. Initially, the most massive change to both the social and...
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...In 1791 Toussaint Louverture emerged as the commander for the rebel army of black slaves that was led by Georges Biassou and Jean- Francois. Louverture himself was an educated slave that studied Julius Caesar’s military campaigns which made him out to be a strong leader and provided organizational ability that had been lacking in previous uprisings. Though he was originally allied with Spain to capture the northern part of Saint-Domingue but, then switch his allegiance to France in 1794 when Paris abolished slavery, he eventually rose to become the commander in chief of all republican forces in Saint-Domingue. From this position, Louverture once more rebelled against the French and make an effort to create a state free of European influence....
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...In 1787, Napoleon and the people of France began to fight what would later be known as “The French Revolution”, it was Napoleon’s rise to power that brought victory. Yet, years later they were back under a monarch, and a revolution started again. Napoleon’s revolution not only brought forth the idea of a revolution, but proof that revolting against a monarch was possible. Looking a Source 1, the first you notice is the flag. The bleu, blanc, et rouge of the flag of France was a rallying point for the revolutionaries. It provided common ground, and something for people to associate with their home. Flags have history of representing their countries, and the French flag was no different, providing a feeling of National pride for whomever saw...
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... Theme 3: Resistance and revolt The economic effects of the Haitian Revolution on Haiti The Haitian Revolution was a great triumph in that it granted a large population of Africans freedom earlier than any other territory in the Caribbean, How true is it to say that early freedom was not worth the destruction of the entire Haitian Economy by the early 19th century? Rationale The condition of the Haitian economy today is far less than satisfactory, poverty and disease is rife and it seems there is no growth to be made in the near future. Battered by natural disasters, the Haitian economy is at an all-time low. One might wonder how this could be, Haiti or what it was, the great St.Domingue was among the richest and most successful places on the planet! This researcher decided to do research on this topic because as a historian I am curious to know why and when the Haitian economy started cascading to the point it is now. Historians who are curious to know more about the history of Haiti’s economy and those connected to Haiti by either residence or family may benefit from this research. Introduction The French colony St Domingue was formed when French settlers persistently tried to settle in Hispaniola which was a colony of Spain and were eventually in 1697 granted the western side of the island through the Treaty of Ryswick. After settling, the French imported Africans to be slaves as a supply of free labour for the operation...
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...French Revolution and Napoleonic Era Essay By: Danny Buck October 31, 2014 Mr. Murphy French Revolution and Napoleonic Era Essay In this essay I am going to attempt to explain how certain ideas and ideals affected the French Revolution and its participants. The world had already under gone political changes by the time that the French Revolution came along. The United States had declared its independence from Great Britain and had fought a war of independence. Great Britain has been governed mostly by parliament since the 1700’s. As I understand it, parliament has grown stronger over the years and the monarchy has grown weaker. It was now France’s turn at independence and democracy. However that did not happen for a while. Their first step was getting rid of the monarchy. Liberty Liberty means being free and not being bound by the old ways and the old ideas. By the time of the French Revolution, the people were ready for liberty. Many philosophers for years had written about liberty and other ideas that rejected the feudal system and keeping people in bondage. The Age of Enlightenment had come to Europe and the old systems of power and faith were changing. Since the 1650’s philosophers had been writing about new ideas and new ways of thinking and the people of France finally embraced those ideas near the end of the eighteenth century. The French people were suffering in poverty and they realized the power of the monarchy was keeping them that way and that...
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...The Impacts of the French Revolution Latisha Wilson His 104 Professor Irene Geisler 6/17/13 The French Revolution was motivated by many origins. Many French people were displeased by the political, social and economic disorders, especially those of the third estate. The philosophers of the enlightenment changed publics’ points of view of government and society. Their goals were to expose and destroy the inequalities of the old order. The enlightenment ideals emphasized the idea of natural rights and equality. The enlightenment which was a period of where new ideas were spread throughout France often criticizing absolute government and the injustices of society. Enlightened thinkers believed that through reason humanity could advance into a new and better world. The Philosophers of the enlightenment were a vast political cause. They spread the idea that everyone should be equal. They tried to apply reason and the scientific method to laws that shaped human activities. John Locke believed that people have three natural rights. Life, liberty and property. The most impressive of the philosophers was the writer Voltaire. He fought for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious beliefs, and freedom of speech. Montesquieu wrote about separation of powers, dividing power among to separate branches of government. Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote in favor of human freedom. The enlightenment movement opened up citizen’s minds about positive change, respect for a person’s place...
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...Gabriel’s Conspiracy, 1800. Born prophetically in 1776 on the Prosser plantation, just six miles north of Richmond, Va., and home (to use the term loosely) to 53 slaves, a slave named Gabriel would hatch a plot, with freedom as its goal, that was emblematic of the era in which he lived. A skilled blacksmith who stood more than six feet tall and dressed in fine clothes when he was away from the forge, Gabriel cut an imposing figure. But what distinguished him more than his physical bearing was his ability to read and write: Only 5 percent of Southern slaves were literate. Other slaves looked up to men like Gabriel, and Gabriel himself found inspiration in the French and Saint-Dominque revolutions of 1789. He imbibed the political fervor of...
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...Symbolism: Regeneration of French Society The Regeneration of French Society came from the revolutionaries’ aggravation with the government of France. King Louis XVI was an incompetent and ineffective ruler. The Monarchy and nobility engaged in political conflict over reform of the tax system, leading France to bankruptcy. In order to regenerate French society the revolutionaries had to reform the main leading figure and symbol of power, King Louis XVI and the absolute monarchy. Although the revolutionaries at first did not intentionally try to inspire nationalist symbols from the events of the French Revolution, the republican ideals of liberty, freedom, and equality that arose from the fighting, nevertheless came to be embodied in French art as powerful symbols that helped to further drive the revolution. The events of the French Revolution were not intended to create nationalist symbols, and only later developed symbolic significance, they were at the time rational acts in attempt to reach a goal. Nevertheless, paintings of the events reinforced republican ideals and symbolism and artwork became a visual aid to the revolution. The artwork was a way for the revolutionaries to visually express nationalism and their goals in a coterminous fashion, combining the two and linking them. French art in a way advertised the revolutionary ideals and the events which publicized the French Revolution. In July 1788 the announcement that the king was going to make the Estates...
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