The Reasons That England did not have a Revolution when France Did
The reasons that England did not have a Revolution while France did is (1) they had already had two revolutions in the 1600’s. When Charles I had tried to eliminate Parliament. This resulted in the English Civil War and Charles I being beheaded. Later when James I took the throne there would be another revolution due in part to James I’s strong Catholic beliefs (2) They had also just spent many years fighting the Revolutionary War thirteen years prior to the French Revolution (3) There was not a clear consensus amongst the British on whether the French were right to revolt or not. There were many groups that supported the peasant’s decision to revolt while on the other hand there were many who felt that they had crossed a line by doing so. One such person was Edmund Burke who wrote “Reflections”. Burke was opposed to a Revolution because it left the government open to uncertainty once the revolution would end. This is because there would be no laws or ruler and the country would be in chaos as different fractions fought for control (4) England was a Constitutional Monarchy which meant that King George III had limited power due to the signing of the Magna Carta under the reign of King John. Parliament had to authorize any laws or wars put forth by the king. This resulted in George III having a high approval rating amongst the people, especially the elite. On the other hand, Louis XVI, who had unlimited power, did not have the support of the middle and upper classes as many sided with the revolutionists. This led to rumors being spread and the collapse of Louis XVI’s authority. Which caused him to become a reactionary participant in events rather than someone who initiates them.
Had England been in the same economic state as France the people may not have been too concerned with what would happen after a Revolution. France was bankrupt due to an overly extravagant monarchy with unlimited power. The monarchy of France had aided the Americans in the Revolutionary War. However, despite spending millions on the Revolutionary War the Monarchy and Aristocracy still insisted on throwing lavish parties and building palatial palaces and other buildings. In order to do this taxes on the peasant class were raised exponentially. This resulted in an exuberantly wealthy Aristocracy and a starving peasant class.
Many had supported the George III’s decision to fight the Revolutionary War especially the upper classes . Even though their economy took a financial hit as a result of the War, England ruled many countries like India which helped to improve their economic status. So while France was in the midst of a Revolution, England was expanding their foreign and economic power by strengthening their navy and undergoing the Industrial Revolution. Which brought with it a number of changes in how things were produced and how they were shipped to consumers “which in its internal and foreign Demand is nearly alike to our own and is still increasing” . The Industrial Revolution also brought with it a number of positive social changes such as worker and labor rights, the abolishment of slavery, more religious freedom, free early education and the ability to vote was expanded to more people.
Essentially the main reason that England was not interested in a political revolution was because they were in the middle of an Industrial Revolution that was helping to increase the power and wealth of the country.
References
Evans, Eric. "BBC - History - British History in Depth: A British Revolution in the 19th Century?" BBC - Home. Last modified February 17, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/revolution_01.shtml.
Halsall, Paul. "Letter from Leeds Cloth Merchants, 1791." Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Last modified 1997. legacy.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1791machines.asp.
