Comparing and Contrasting the American and French Revolutions

Comparing and Contrasting the American and French Revolutions

The French and American Revolutions were parallel in some aspects but also had differentiations. The two revolutions were alike in the reasons of how and why they began. The reason stemming from the people, feeling as if they are treated unfairly and want to gain freedom and equality from their ruler. However, the end of results of the two revolutions are completely opposite, where one was successful and the other disastrous.

Both the French and American Revolutions came from an idea which was based on the Enlightenment-era and made both countries call for like formations. The thoughts of freedom of speech and press, natural rights, equality, democracy, and freedom of religion are what fueled the fire for the two revolutions. France was wracked with financial troubles for more than a decade. One reason was the wars of Louis XVI, who had replaced his grandfather Louis XV before things started to get worse. The debt rose tremendously when Louis XVI financed many wars, one being the American Revolution, which added more debt as well as interest to the financial woes of France. However, that was not the only problem that France had faced. The Second problem was the Estates representatives and the social classes they were divided into. The First Estate was the clergy; it contained a group of people that were working on behalf of the Catholic Church. This group of individuals had great influence over France controlling considerable volumes of property and was exempt from paying taxes. The Second Estate was the nobility and they were exempt from many of King Louis XVI taxes as well. They had as much privilege as the First Estate being that both groups did not have to pay taxes and enjoyed their wealth. The Third Estate was the commoners and or working class, they were the group that paid the bulk of the taxes and did not have any say so with anything dealing with the French Monarchy. Also, the food shortages were another problem that caused the upheaval in France. Just like the French Revolution, the American Revolution was about the independence of the country. It consisted of the high-class, the middle class, and the lower class. The American Revolution was due in part because the middle and lower class did not have a voice to speak for them in parliament, which led to the saying "No taxation without representation".

The American Revolution was a developing mold for the French Revolution. Although one revolution had begun before the other, "most scholars believe that the two revolutions influenced each other" (Grubins). The British government controlling America had already created a monarchy which was fair to the people in some ways. However, the French did not receive the same rights. Another aspect which may have influenced the French Revolution is that America had a strong political leadership, leading the world with