Ways of the WorldChapter 16

ATLANTIC REVOLUTION, GLOBAL ECHOES

1750 - 1914

The 18 th & 19 th centuries were witness to social & political upheaval in many parts of the world Safavid Empire collapsed by 1730 Mughal Empire was fragmenting Wahhabi movement

Threatened the Ottoman Empire Religious ideals were the basis of social uprisings in Central Asia

Russia had a number of peasant uprisings China was home to a number of unsuccessful smaller

rebellions leading up to the huge Taiping revolution 1850-1864

Islamic revolutions in West Africa Series of wars in southern Africa

Resulted in widespread violence & the creation of new states

GLOBAL REVOLUTIONS

The Atlantic revolutions took place in a larger global context, but were distinctive in several ways compared to rebellions elsewhere. Costly wars put tremendous stress on the economies of

European imperial powers Britain raised taxes on North American colonies France had to seek new revenue from landowners

Atlantic revolutions were connected to one another Atlantic revolutionaries shared common ideals Atlantic revolutions all eliminated monarchs Global impact extending far beyond the Atlantic world

UNIQUENESS OF ATLANTIC REVOLUTIONS

Ideals that drove revolution came from the Enlightenment & were shared across the ocean in newspapers, books, & pamphlets

Political & social arrangements could be engineered & improved by human action

Conventional ways of living and thinking came under attack: Divine right of kings State control of trade Aristocratic privilege Authority of a single church

IDEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR REVOLUTION

New ideas: Liberty Equality Free trade Religious tolerance Republicanism Power of human rationality

Popular sovereignty: The authority to govern is derived from the people rather

than from God or established tradition John Locke:

The “social contract” between ruler and ruled should only last as long as it served the people well

IDEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR REVOLUTION

Revolutionary in that a decisive political change took place

Not revolutionary in that it sought to preserve existing liberties rather than create new ones

Grew out of a sudden eff ort by the British government to tighten control of its colonies & extract more revenue from them.

Revolutionary leaders tended to be of elite social status

NORTH AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Revolution accelerated the established democratic tendencies of colonial society

Political authority remained largely in the hands of existing elites who led the revolution

Property requirements for voting loweredMore white men of modest means were elected to

state legislaturesNo women nor people of color shared in this

expansion of political participationSlavery was gradually abolished in northern states,

but was fi rmly entrenched in the southern states

NORTH AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Began the political dismantling of Europe’s empires in the Americas

The “right of revolution” has inspired revolutionaries ever since

The U.S. Constitution was one of the fi rst eff orts to put the political ideas of the Enlightenment into practice Bill of Rights Checks and balances Separation of church and state Federalism

It has been a model for many other nations, and its ideas were at the core of many other political uprisings in the 19 th century

NORTH AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Driven by deep confl icts rooted in France’s traditional social structure of the estates

Far more violent, far reaching, and radical than the American Revolution

French revolutionaries were attempting to recreate both a political & social structure from scratch

Ideas of the French Revolution were spread across Europe mainly through Napoleon’s conquests

FRENCH REVOLUTION

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen: Document created by the National Assembly, members of

the 3rd Estate at the Estates General Declared that “men are born and remain free and equal in

rights” These actions by the National Assembly launched the

French Revolution

FRENCH REVOLUTION

France created the world’s largest army through compulsory male service 800,000 men Led by offi cers from the middle & lower classes An army of citizens representing the nation

Raised the question of female political equality far more explicitly than in America Women were active in the major events of the revolution

In the end French revolutionaries were unwilling to off er any political rights to women, but the revolution itself paved the way for modern feminism Seemed inappropriate & threatening to men

FRENCH REVOLUTION

General who seized power in a coup d'état Preserved many gains of the revolution in

Civil equality Secular legal codes Religious freedom Merit based promotion

Spread the ideas & benefi ts throughout Europe via conquest Created the largest European empire since Rome Imposed revolutionary practices in conquered lands

Ending feudalism Equality of rights Religious tolerance Codifying laws Rationalizing government administration

Many places welcomed the reforms, but resented French domination Sparked nationalism throughout Europe

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

The French Caribbean colony of Saint Domingue was known as the richest colony in the world 8,000 plantations Produced 40% of the world’s sugar Produced nearly 50% of the world’s coffee

Inequality and exploitation dominated this island 500,000 slave labor force 40,0000 whites

Rich plantation owners, merchants, lawyers Poor whites

30,000 free people of color (often racially mixed)

HAITIAN REVOLUTION, 1791-1804

Example of the French revolution resonated in diff erent ways for the diff erent social groups in Haiti Rich whites saw an opportunity for greater colonial

autonomy & freedom of trade Poor whites demanded equality of citizenship for all whites Free people of color interpreted “rights of man” as equal

treatment for all free people, regardless of race Slaves saw an opportunity for personal freedom and an end

to the entire slave labor system

HAITIAN REVOLUTION

Massive revolt began in 1791 fueled by rumors the French king had already ended slavery Warring factions of the islands population

Slaves Whites Free people of color

Outside intervention from Britain & Spain France

Slaves were led by Toussaint Loverture, a former slave, & were able to overcome internal resistance, other foreign powers, & an attempt by Napoleon to reestablish French control

HAITIAN REVOLUTION

Haitian Revolution resulted in unprecedented outcomes: Socially, the lowest class of society had become free &

independent citizens It is the only completely successful slave revolt in history Politically, it became the 2nd independent republic in the

Americas & the 1st non-European state to come from Western colonialism

Defined all Haitian citizens as “black” and legally equal regardless of color or class Disallowed citizenship for most whites

Plantation system destroyed Land redistributed among former slaves & free blacks Became a nation of small farmers with a much smaller export

sector

HAITIAN REVOLUTION

Other eff ects of the Haitian Revolution: Fear among whites throughout the hemisphere Injected elites in Latin America with social conservatism

that led to their countries independence in the early 19 th century

Led to a temporary expansion of slavery in other places like Cuba that increased sugar production to make up for Haiti’s decline

Napoleon was persuaded to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States, from which several slave states were created

Did NOT lead to successful independence movements in the remaining Caribbean colonies

HAITIAN REVOLUTION

Revolutions in Spanish & Portuguese colonies of Latin America were shaped by the American, French, & Haitian revolutions, as well as their own distinctive societies & historical experiences

Like in North America, creole elites were upset by the Spanish monarchy Efforts to exercise greater authority over its colonies Higher taxes & tariffs

Creole intellectuals had become familiar with the ideas of the European Enlightenment Popular sovereignty Republican government Personal liberty

SPANISH AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS1810-1825

Diff erences b/t Spanish American independence movements & the American Revolution Spanish colonies governed in a more authoritarian manner Sharp divisions in society

Class, race, region Whites in Latin America were greatly outnumbered by

native Americans, those of African descent, & mixed races Conflict among Latin Americans b/c of race, class, ideology

often accompanied the struggle against Spain Independence movements occurred with fear of social

rebellion from the lower classes Impossibility of uniting all of the Spanish colonies

Distance, geography, distinct & deeply rooted regional identities

SPANISH AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS

GrievancesRacial factorsPolitical, social, cultural outcomes Influence on other revolutions

CATEGORIES OF COMPARISON FOR THE ATLANTIC REVOLUTIONS

North American, Haitian, & Spanish American revolutions all directed their grievances at the governments of European colonial powers

French Revolutionaries’ grievances were directed inward at confl icts within their own society

GRIEVANCES

Racial factors played significant roles in the Haitian & Spanish American Revolutions

Racial factors were a peripheral issue in America & France

RACIAL FACTORS