Chapter 17 Reflections

The reasonably close relations between the revolution leaders created an era of change for the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The amount of revitalization the actors of the Atlantic Revolutions witnessed remains to this day unrivaled and influential.  The connections between the various country leaders spread across continents amazes when compared to mere individuals fighting for a cause they have devoted themselves to entirely.  These revolutions that traversed the seas proved the significance behind a single idea of human integrity and innate rights of the individual.

            The revolutions had to initially debase the established superiority of the privileged and the irrefutable control of the king. This countered an ideology that had thrived throughout the world for centuries without even a breath of distrust or serious rebellion. Monarchy had endured its darkest of times with dominance and certainty, escaping the trials that should have accompanied lunatic rulers with mad decisions such as Louie the Fourteenth of France and his plan to drive the economy into the ground. However, with the age of revolution erupting from the enlightened minds of the century, ideals such as equality, free trade, and tolerance surpassed the archaic belief in the divine privilege of kings and the unalterable destiny of the aristocracy. The revolutions of the Atlantic confronted authority with a new head on its shoulder, and each revolution was bolstered by the confidence of the successes directly preceding them.

            The American Revolution in the late eighteenth century spurred the movement across the Atlantic and into the European homeland. The Americans began with less opportunity as well as less advantages against their older, stronger, better equipped opponent, Great Britain. However, their determination and ability to abide by the ideals they established and to place them before the eyes of their oppressors inspired the French to slice a piece of revolution pie. The French had a first-hand feel for the revolution due to their direct role in assisting the Americans against the overpowering Britain. British had consistently stood as the rival to the French, and thus provided France with its role in the American Revolution as well as its spark to ignite its own. France, dealing with its own economically crippling predicament, sought to reform its monetary situation through a gathering of representatives. However, through this gathering was it made apparent the severe lack of representation of the people by the government, due to the deciding estate being broken into three parts with the first two accounting for roughly two percent of the population. This gathering, brought on by Louie the sixteenth, led to the creation of the National Assembly which quickly assumed the role of decision making for the revolutionized country of France. They acted to create the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which initiated the action of the revolution. Actions such as war and conflict supported by radical shifts in ideologies soon affected the mentalities of suppressed majorities under select privileged rule. Such effected countries prevailed with more significance than others, such as that of the Haitian Revolution. This revolution remains prevalent due to it being the single successful slave revolt in the history of the world. It stands as probably the greatest revolution on account of the vast change in authority from exploiters to the workers, from controlled and dominated slavery to free people individually prospering from their labor, and from racial inferior to equality. The massive alteration in ideology of the Haitian Revolution perfectly epitomizes the age of revolutions.