The Revolutionary Wave, 1787–1789

Between 1787 and 1789, revolts in the name of liberty broke out in the Dutch Republic, the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium and Luxembourg), and Poland as well as in France. At the same time, the newly independent United States of America was preparing a new federal constitution. Historians have sometimes referred to these revolts as the Atlantic revolutions because so many protest movements arose in countries on both shores of the North Atlantic. The French Revolution nonetheless differed greatly from the others. Not only was France the richest, most powerful, and most populous state in Europe, but its revolution was also more violent, more long-lasting, and ultimately more influential. (See “Terms of History: Revolution.”)