US Formation & French Revolution: Causes and Stages

Posted on Jan 27, 2025 in History

The Creation of the United States: A Republic

Unlike most European states at the time, the USA chose to become a republic. In 1787, representatives from the 13 states met in Philadelphia. While each state wanted to maintain control over its own affairs, they recognized the need to collaborate for defense and trade. They created a Constitution for the new nation, signed in 1787.

The representatives in Philadelphia divided political power between the states and a national government. The national government controlled foreign affairs, national defense, and interstate trade. Individual states managed law and order and education.

Within the national government, power was divided among an elected president, a parliament, and a court of law. No single branch could act alone; they required the support of the others (separation of powers).

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

  • He wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
  • It outlined principles of national sovereignty, separation of powers, and suffrage.

Constitution

  • Executive: President → Vice President
  • Legislative: Congress → House of Representatives
  • Judicial: Supreme Court


French Revolution

Long-Term Causes

  1. The Ancient Regime was outdated and unjust.
  2. The king’s absolute power and the lack of a representative parliament. French society was divided into three unjust estates.
  3. The influence of Enlightenment writers (Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu) and the American War of Independence (1776). Many French volunteers and books inspired revolt.
  4. The unjust taxation system, which angered peasants.
  5. The growing middle class demanded equal social and political rights.

Short-Term Causes

  1. The French government was nearly bankrupt due to wars.
  2. The nobility resisted paying taxes. Increased taxes and financial reforms angered the Estates-General.
  3. Poor harvests from 1787-89 led to smaller incomes for farmers and higher food prices for town workers, causing unemployment.
  4. The king’s mistakes:
    • He was worried about his son’s health.
    • He failed to improve the country’s situation.
    • The meeting at Versailles Palace highlighted the contrast between royal wealth and national poverty.
  5. The royal family’s lavish spending angered the people.

Historical Stages of the French Revolution

  • Aristocratic Revolt (1787-89): The nobility challenged the monarchy. Main event: Estates-General.
  • National Constituent Assembly (1789-91): Parliament representing the nation. Main events: Tennis Court Oath, Storming of the Bastille.
  • Legislative Assembly (1791-92): Parliament passed laws to abolish the Ancient Regime. Main events: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, Constitution of 1791.
  • National Convention (1792-93): The Girondins ruled. Main events: Birth of the French Republic, execution of Louis XVI, war against Prussia and Austria.
  • Reign of Terror (1793-94): The Jacobins ruled. Main events: Robespierre, thousands were guillotined.
  • Directory (1794-99): Main events: Thermidor coup d’état, executive power held by 5 members, Napoleon Bonaparte.