Which of the following describes a major difference between the American and French Revolutions?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Both wars were initiated by perceived injustices from the monarchies in question and inspired by Enlightenment ideas, and the French Revolution was, in large part, inspired by the American Revolution. Ironically enough, the French absolute monarchy had helped finance the revolt of the American colonists against perceived monarchical excesses and the debt thus incurred was part of the snowballing problems that led to the French Revolution.

The two wars differ in some key ways:

-- The American Revolution was a revolt of colonies against an overseas king, while the French Revolution was a revolt of the lower classes within their own country.

-- The goals of the American Revolution remained more or less the same from beginning to end, while the goals of the French Revolution changed, becoming more radical over time.

-- The American Revolution resulted in two separate states which have essentially retained those forms of government since while the French Revolution brought a succession of governments to France.

The American Revolution was also not as violent as the French Revolution. French Revolutionaries (after storming the Bastille to start the Revolution) would execute any supporters of the king via the guillotine, whereas American

Revolutionaries were never violent per se towards Brits or supporters of the monarchy outside of warfare.

The American Revolution was fought primarily in North America and the French Revolution was fought primarily in Europe.

The American Revolution was fought primarily against the United Kingdom, the French Revolution was fought against the French government under King Louis XVI and various European Coalitions.

Native Americans fought on both sides during the American Revolution, but they did not fight during the French Revolution.

Both Revolutions overthrew the legitimate Monarchs and both were long and bloody.

Answer 2

The French Revolution was a lot more bloody and gory than the American Revolution. That is the most distinguishable difference.

Answer 3

napoleon was the 'George Washington' of the French Revolution...except for the fact that he did not help set up the constitution, believe in democracy, or want the people to rule themselves, instead of becoming president in a limited term, he declared himself emperor and tried to rule all of Europe---so...other than that, they are just alike!

Answer 4

The root cause of the French revolution was a natural disaster, a volcanic eruption in Iceland.It blacked out most of Europe and the crops failed in France. However, the aristocracy was still living the high life and the hungry hordes stormed the palaces.

Answer 5

American Revolution

American schoolchildren receive an appalling dose of propaganda on this subject. Given that in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't so very long ago, it's shocking how much of what we think we know is simply legend.

Even at the time, for example, King George III of Great Britain was called a tyrant and held to blame for all of the evils visited on the Colonists by his government, even though he was only slightly less a figurehead than the current queen, Elizabeth II. Also, Britain even then was actually a highly democratic country, relatively speaking. It had long been one of the pillars of the British Constitution that the people needed to give their consent to being taxed. This was the original purpose of Parliament.

Now. in the mid-18th Century, what was known as the French and Indian War in the Colonies broke out. The British and the Colonists won this, but it cost the British Treasury a great deal of money. And since all this money was laid out defending the Colonists, it was decided to recoup some of the costs by introducing taxation for the first time to the Colonies. The taxes were not especially onerous; the colonists' main grievance being that they had not consented to them. This was one of the most important causes of the discontent which led to the American Revolution, and when it was over, the founding fathers kept what was good when forming a new constitution. The English system and concept of Common Law, based on precedent, remains in place today. The upper and lower houses of congress, also, being based on the Westminster system of Lords and Commons.

French Revolution

The French Revolution, on the other hand, was the result of centuries of oppression, with an utter failure to modernize. France's population was subject to a huge amount of stupid, counter-productive, and contradictory conventions and laws dating back to the Middle Ages. For example, trade was terribly hampered by ancient laws and feudal dues so that shipping goods from one part of France to another was held up at every town by the local dues and tithes demanded. This was an enormous hindrance to internal trade. A farmer could have his entire crop ruined if the local lord rode a hunting party over it, and there would be nothing he could do about it, though his taxes would be due nonetheless. Taxes he had no say over, unlike in England. The French Parlement, the Estates-General, had not met since 1614, 175 years before the beginning of the Revolution, and did not have the power to regulate taxation in any case, merely serving as an advisory body to the Kings of France, who obviously had little use for it unless in a desperate crisis, as was Louis XVI, when he finally convened it in 1789.

The French peasantry were among the poorest and most oppressed in Europe, bearing on their stooped shoulders almost the entire burden of taxation. Although they knew they lived in the richest, largest, most powerful and most populous country in Europe, they lived in mud hovels and were starving. This is why the French revolution was so violent and resulted in such a dramatic change to the social order. The system (if one can even call it that) in place was so completely antiquated that reform was deemed impossible, and the old regime was completely swept away on the tide of progress.

It should also be pointed out that King Louis XVI made a fatal error in judgment in supporting the Americans in their war for independence. Aiding a people in rebelling against their lawful sovereign set a dangerous precedent, and sowed the seeds of enlightenment and revolution among the intellectuals of France.

Further Differences: The American Revolution was not concerned with the overthrow of the king, but with achieving independence, at last, from the British Empire, and forging a new nation on republican ideals, while the French revolution involved and took place in only one country, France, and focused, eventually, on total regime change. America's revolution was a war for independence, France's was not a war, although war certainly followed the revolution close on its heels.

Answer 2

the america revolution succeeded in establishing

Answer 3

Although occurring within a few years of each other in the late 18th century, the American and French revolutions differed in quite a few ways. Perhaps most importantly, the American revolution was less internally chaotic and violent; furthermore, it established a stable and strong republic that never devolved, as did the French revolution, into an antagonistic empire the likes of the Napoleonic Empire in the early 19th century.

Answer 4

The American Revolution started because the American colonies in the Eastern United States were tired of Britain's laws. Britain was it's mother country and they wanted to break free from it. Some of the population wanted to stay with Britain and were called "Loyalists" and a lot of them ended up moving to Canada because of unfair treatment in the colonies as the "Patriots" hated them for wanting to stay with Britain. The French Revolution happened around the same time in the late 1700's because of the poor government in France. Between Louis XVI being unfit to rule the near bankrupt country and Marie Antoinette's wild spending habits, the lower class people of France had nothing to lose and after being influenced by the American Revolution, revolted and in the end, over 1,300 people (mostly upper class) were killed under the guillotine, including the king and queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
There were a few similarities between the two, but in actuality, they are quite different. While they both were cases of frustration and unfair treatment, and both were successful in achieving what they'd been fighting for, the core of the fighting and what the people did about it was completely different. Both Revolutions involved overthrowing a system of government, a rebellious act, but why and how in both cases were very different.

Think of it this way - the Americans did it with class. They did it right. They planned every step and every move of their fight, and knew exactly why they were fighting. There were no ifs, ands, or buts - all of the Americans involved with the war were guided by their hearts, and they each worked consistently toward their common goal - to be free. The French, however, had no plan what so ever. They were hungry and poor, and no matter how many times they told the ignorant and greedy people who ruled their world about it, nothing was done. People were dying, and they didn't like it. So they started mobs and rallies, which eventually led to all-out war. It was messy, and unorganized. Unlike the American Revolution, which was, while not the cleanest, but still it was organized and swift. Plus, they were fighting against two very different opponents. King Louis XIV was weak and wimpy. What did he do when his people began to rally? He cried and ran for the hills. King George, however, did not run. He tried, smartly and deftly, to keep a firm hand on his people, but that was no easy feat. The world, back them, was vast, and the Atlantic was a quite a large mass of water, separating the two continents almost infinitely. He couldn't rule over them in an orderly fashion from that far, so he was defeated. And the people were just too different too. The Americans wanted with all their heart to rule over themselves. The French just wanted to feel that they weren't being ignored. (They also didn't want to starve either.) So they really are hard to compare, similarity wise.

Answer 5

The French Revolution differed from the American Revolution in numerous ways; however, one of the most important differences is that it suffered from greater bloodshed and less unity among the revolutionaries themselves. Despite their more lofty goals relative to the goals of the American revolutionaries, the French revolutionaries squabbled violently among themselves even while working to tear down the "Old Regime" in France. This dissension led to yet another difference between the two revolutions: the American revolution led to the formation of a stable, if also weak, nation while the French revolution led to the formation of an empire headed by the conquest-minded Napoleon.

Answer 6

The two revolutions could not be more different. The American Revolutionary War was fought by the American colonies to free themselves from British rule. The Americans were a threat to the government of Great Britain. The French Revolution's purpose was to overthrow the existing monarchy and replace it with a new government. The leaders of the American Revolution did not seek revenge against loyalists who did not wish to separate from Great Britain. In the French Revolution, "enemies" of the revolution were executed without mercy.The leaders of the American Revolution often became officials in the new government, while the key leaders in the French Revolution, ended up being executed.

The end result of the American Revolution saw the beginnings of democratic government, in France the Revolution brought on a new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer 7

Semantically-speaking, the two events are vastly different.

In one sense, the American Revolution was not a revolution at all, in the sense that it did not seek to overthrow a regime. Instead, the "revolution" was more a war of independence, as the colonials sought a clean break from Great Britain. There was not much desire in the colonials to change the constitutional monarchy system of the British—rather, they wanted a country to call their own.

Meanwhile, the French Revolution was more true to the word "revolution" as the perpetrators sought a regime change. At the time, France was ruled by the House of Bourbon as an absolute monarchy, and the revolutionaries wanted a republic. Unlike the United States, the French were not looking to form a new country, but were working to replace their form of government.

Answer 8

The French revolutionaries focused on equality for all, whereas the American revolutionaries focused on enhancing the status of white, male landowners.

Answer 9

The French Revolution changed a government. The American Revolution CREATED a new NATION.

Answer 10

Answer this question… The French Revolution eventually led to the rise of a powerful dictator, while the American Revolution created a lasting republic.