Introduction for Chapter 19

19. Revolutions in Politics, 1775–1815

>What led to the great revolutions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and how did these revolutions change over time? Chapter 19 examines the great wave of revolution that rocked both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The revolutionary era began in North America in 1775. Then, in 1789, France became the leading revolutionary nation. It established first a constitutional monarchy, then a radical republic, and finally a new empire under Napoleon that would last until 1815. Inspired both by the ideals of the Revolution on the continent and by their own experiences and desires, the slaves of Saint-Domingue rose up in 1791. Their rebellion would eventually lead to the creation of the new independent nation of Haiti in 1804. In Europe and its colonies abroad, the age of modern politics was born.

LearningCurve

After reading the chapter, use LearningCurve to retain what you’ve read.

image
Life in Revolutionary France. On the eve of the French Revolution, angry crowds like this one gathered in Paris to protest the high-handed actions of the royal government. (Musée de la Ville de Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Paris, France/Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library)

>What were the factors behind the revolutions of the late eighteenth century?

>Why and how did American colonists forge a new, independent nation?

>How did the events of 1789 result in a constitutional monarchy in France?

>Why and how did the French Revolution take a radical turn?

>Why did Napoleon Bonaparte assume control of France and much of Europe?

>How did slave revolt on colonial Saint-Domingue lead to the independent nation of Haiti?

1775–1783 1793–1794
– American Revolution – Robespierre’s Reign of Terror
1786–1789 1794
– Height of French monarchy’s financial crisis – Robespierre deposed and executed; France abolishes slavery in all territories
1789 1794–1799
– Ratification of U.S. Constitution; storming of the Bastille; feudalism abolished in France – Thermidorian reaction
1789–1799 1799–1815
– French Revolution – Napoleonic era
1790 1804
– Burke publishes Reflections on the Revolution in France – Haitian republic declares independence
1791 1812
– Slave insurrection in Saint-Domingue – Napoleon invades Russia
1792 1814–1815
– Wollstonecraft publishes A Vindication of the Rights of Woman – Napoleon defeated and exiled
1793
– Execution of Louis XVI
Table 19.1: > CHAPTER CHRONOLOGY