World History Notes - Atlantic Revolutions in a Global Context

Chapter 16 Atlantic Revolutions in a Global Context Wahhabi movement in Arabia threatened the Ottoman Empire greatly Russian Empire under Catharine the Great experienced a series of peasants uprisings Ching hosted unsuccessful rebellions, a prelude to the Taiping revolution of 1850-1864 West Africa experienced a big Islamic revolution Southern Africa experienced a series of wars and migrations known as mtecane Mtecane involved with the widespread and violent disruptions as well as the creation of new states and societies. The Atlantic revolution within a large global framework. It helped exchange cultures as well as commercial and biological interactions. Nationalism was nurtured in the Atlantic Revolution Comparing Atlantic Revolutions The North American Revolution, 1775-1787 The American Revolution was a struggle for the independence from oppressive British rule. The struggle was launched with the Declaration of Independence in 1776 This resulted in the unlikely military victory by 1781 and generated a federal constitution in 1776, joining the 13 colonies into a new nation. The American Revolution marked a decisive political change (also known as a conservative movement) It was a movement to preserve existing liberties of the colonies instead of creating new ones Local autonomy -> the ability of local governments to have an independent impact on the well-being of their citizens English settlers in the colonies created societies lead by historians. Social life was more open compared to Europe All free men had the same status (before the law); this excluded black slaves and, in some ways, white women as well. These conditions caused less poverty, more economic opportunities, fewer social differences, and easier relationships among the classes than in Europe. Britain began to impose a variety of new taxes and tariffs on the colonies without their consent. This infuriated the Englishmen, thus they went to war Political authority remained in the hands of existing elites who had led the revolution. (remained in hands of men) Slavery was gradually abolished in the northern states but was firmly entrenched in the southern states. The century after independence, the U.S. became the world's most democratic country The French Revolution, 1789-1815 France was nearing bankruptcy and wanted to modernize their tax system and make it more equitable The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen launched the French Revolution and radicalized many of the participants in the National Assembly American Revolution happened due to tensions within the colonies and Britain's power French Revolution happened due to conflicts with the French society Social conflicts caused violence in France especially during the first 5 years Peasants attacked the residences of their lords The National Assembly eliminated feudalism in France Slavery was abolished, churches were sold for money, and priests were put under government authority In 1793, King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, were executed, an act of regicide (killing of a king) This caused another revolutionary violence After this was the Terror of 1793-1794 After the attacks and violence, France wanted to start over from scratch to create a new, and better society France created the world's largest army, with some 800,000 men Women played a role in events of the revolution Cercle Social (social circle) -> a small group that campaigned for women's rights Festival of unity (1793) -> a festival that marks the end of monarchy American revolution became a world power at the end of the 19th century The French revolution spread through conquest Napoleon preserved civil equality, a secular law code, religious freedom, and promotion by merit He also restored the Catholic Church and suppressed democratic elements in military dictatorship Becoming like Europe? Population grew from around 30 million in 1850 to more than 77 million in 1912 Urbanization occurred rapidly too Upper-class land owners benefited the most out of the export boom Middle-class urban dwellers gained new skills that benefited society greatly Upper-class was 1% of population Middle-class was 8% of population The rest was the lower class and poor The lower class created unions and strikes by the end of the 19th century This was a threat to the government as they were interested in stability and progress The lower class lived in rural areas where they suffered most and benefited the least In the 20th century middle-class reformers joined workers to over the long dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911) Following this was a decade long conflict (1910-1920) killing 1 million Mexicans After the Mexican Revolution, the country created a constitution giving people more equality and rights Communism -> public ownership of means of production and decisions by the government economic activity Spanish American Revolutions, 1808-1825 This took place in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies of mainland Latin America Whites were outnumbered by the Native Americans In Mexico, the move towards independence began in 1810 Peasants revolted because they were hungry for land and did not like the high food prices This movement was supported by 2 priests, Miguel Hidalgo and José Morelos Creole landowners created an army and stopped the rebellion The alliance of clergy and creole elites brought Mexico to a more socially controlled independence in 1821 Many leaders were genuine liberals and were influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and Spanish liberalism Native Americans and slaves benefited the least from independence. Women did not gain much either However, upper-class women gave and raised money for the independence struggle and also provided safe havens for revolutionary meetings Latin American women were excluded from political life and remained under the control of men in their families After Latin America's independence, they became relatively underdeveloped, impoverished, undemocratic, politically unstable, and dependent on foreign technology and investment Echoes of Revolution The Abolition of Slavery Enlightenment thinkers in eighteenth-century Europe had become very critical of slavery They saw it as a violation of the natural rights of every person The Great Jamaica Revolt of 1831-1832 prompted Britain to abolish slavery throughout its empire in 1833 In 1807, Britain forbade the sale of slaves within its empire In 1834, those who were enslaved were freed British naval vessels patrolled the Atlantic, intercepted illegal slave ships, and freed their human cargoes Most Latin American countries abolished slavery by the 1850s Brazil was the last to do so in 1888 The end of Atlantic slavery during the nineteenth century marked a rapid turn in the world's social history France resented and resisted national consciousness National consciousness -> a shared understanding that a group of people shares a common ethnic/cultural background This caused Napoleon and his empire to be brought down in 1815 This marked the end of the French Revolution The Haitian Revolution, 1791-1804 Saint Domingue is regarded as the richest colony in the world It had 8,000 plantations, producing 40% of the world's sugar and half of its coffee Slaves made up the majority of the colony's population (500,000 people) There were 40,000 whites Some are known as petits blancs (poor whites), 30,000 are gens de couleur libres (free people of color), and grands blancs (rich whites) Grands blancs resented the petits blancs' demand for equality of citizenship for all whites The French Revolution challenged the slave labor system The slaves participated in a massive revolt in 1791 killing hundreds of whites and thousands of plantations Soon slaves, whites, and free people of color battled one another Power gravitated towards the slaves, now led by the astute Toussaint Louverture (a former slave) They overcame internal resistance, outsmarted the foreign powers, and defeated an attempt by Napoleon to reestablish French control By the early nineteenth century, a remarkable thing has taken place Slaves who were once at the lowest social status was now at the top They overthrew French colonial rule, and created the second independent republic in the Americas and the first non-European state to emerge from western colonialism Haiti -> mountainous or rugged Some people referred themselves as Incas January 1st, 1804 was the formal declaration of Haiti's independence The country's plantation system was destroyed Former slaves and free blacks were distributed both private and state lands Haiti became a nation of small-scale farmers, producing mostly for their own needs Haitian Revolution temporarily expanded slavery elsewhere