1. The Enlightenment which occurred during the 18th century, was an age of new ideas and thinkers whose books and philosophies on governments helped cause the French, Glorious and American revolutions. Around 1688 in England, there was major civil unrest between Catholics and Anglicans that lead to King James being overthrown by Anglicans. The people were afraid of Catholicism reconquering England and they wanted a protestant king. In 1789 in France, the people were unhappy with the monarchs and their unjust taxing as well as the corrupt judicial system. In addition, there was a major lack of crops such as wheat which caused many people to starve. During the mid-1770s in the United States, the people were very unhappy with the rising taxes and strict laws of mercantilism. In addition, the people had no say in the government and all of their profits went to England. All of these were major causes that lead to revolutions. All of these revolutions were inspired by major enlightenment thinkers. The Glorious Revolution was influenced by John Locke’s “Letter concerning toleration” which states the role of Christians during that time and how Christians who believe in the same god should tolerate each other. The American Revolution was shaped by John Locke’s books and ideas on government. Thomas Jefferson, used many quotes directly from John Locke’s accounts when writing the declaration of independence. Lastly, It isn’t entirely clear who directly influenced the French revolution, however many of ideas implemented into the government after the revolution can be traced back to Jean Rousseau, Charles Montesquieu, John Locke and even Olympe de gouges and her Declaration on the Rights of Women. One similarity between all of these revolutions is that even though the causes are different, the Outcomes of these revolutions can all be traced back to enlightenment thinkers.

 

2. The French and American revolutions were beacons of hope to all people who have been suffering under the monarchs that change was possible and this light of hope, as well as the French invasion of Spain lead to Rio de la Plata, The Mexican Revolution and the Brazilian Revolution. Since the 16th century, Spain and Portugal held a firm grip on the Americas with their large colonial territories that spanned from Mexico to Argentina. The people in these colonies have been brutally suffering due to intensive forced labor with little to no wages. These people were afraid of their colonial power and chose not to rebel. Then, the world watched as the French monarchy collapsed due to the taxation and starvation of the people. Spanish colonists then realized that it was not impossible to overthrow the brutal Spanish and establish their own governments. In addition, the British colonies in the Americas rebelled due to taxation without representation and ended up with their own democratic government. The people also recognized that when Napoléon had invaded Spain and Portugal, The Monarchs were at an extremely weak state and would not be able to control a rebellion in their colonies. All of these events were sparks to an old deep hatred that the colonists shared towards the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies.

 

 

3. Inequality was a major cause that inspired the French, Haitian and Mexican Revolutions. Inequality is commonly defined as the condition of being unequal also known as lack of equality. Nations such as France, Mexico and Haiti had major inequality issues. France had a social caste system that separated the rich from the poor and they treated women unfairly. Eventually this lead to the storming of the bastille and the women’s march of Versailles in 1789. In Mexico, most of the people were forced into slavery by the Spanish. Much like Mexico, Haiti was composed of mostly slaves and worked without pay to French colonists. Both nations eventually fought back and won due to the fact that there much more slaves then there were colonists. In conclusion, Inequality creates a gap between people, and history shows with the French, Mexican and Haitian Revolutions that the “underdog” will eventually start a revolution.

 

4. Overall the enlightenment lead to global events such as the French Revolution and then those revolutions inspired more people to rebel. At this time Europe controlled the Americas, Africa, as well as parts of Asia and Oceania. People did not favor the strict rules of mercantilism and their crops and resources being shipped off to Europe leaving their colonies broke. After the American and French Revolutions, Europe’s Power began to weaken. Also, new ideas on different types of government have been introduced by enlightenment thinkers and colonists were tried of the brutal monarchs and they wanted to have their own voice in government. To conclude, each Revolution was a spark that caused a chain reaction of revolutions due to the enlightenment ideas and long term buildup of hate against Europe and their unjust taxes, rules and laws.