Introduction
Revolutions that are of great historical relevance have occurred in the global community. A revolution is essentially a pronounced change in organization structures or power that happens within a relatively short time. The concept mainly regards to changes in the political structure of the society. The human history is defined by various revolutions that substantially changed the global politics and interactions. The identifiable historical revolutions vary extensively in terms of their nature, motivating ideologies and duration. These revolutions have mainly resulted to changes in economic, culture and social-political institutions. In essence, most of the prominent revolutions have resulted to radical changes in the people’s way of life. The paper provides an analytical account of three prominent revolutions, the Spanish Revolution, the French Revolution and the American Revolution.
The Spanish revolution was prompted by the political conflicting ideologies between the Republicans and individuals who supported the government of the day. The Second Spanish Republic mainly promoted the idea of electoral democracy. The group comprised of individuals who ranged from centrists to the ones advocating for leftist revolutionary change that included primary urban power base (Bolloten, 1991). Another important group included the Nationalists who protested against the government and assumed a more conservative primary rural power base. The aggressive period of revolts was 1936 to 1939, and they culminated with the defeat of the Republicans. This led to radical authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The war was characterized with numerous casualties, with the number estimated to range above 500,000 people (Allison, 2011).
The political and emotional effects of the Spanish revolution stretched beyond the boundaries of Spain and ignited passion among the global intellectuals and political communities. Individuals who sympathized with the Republican regarded the war as a rivalry between democracy and dictatorial leadership. In this context, many idealist activists of 1930s who enrolled in International Brigades were motivated to serve the Spanish Republic. On the contrary, supporters of Franco viewed the war as the struggle of the “red hordes,” the promoters of anarchism and communism against “civilization” (Bolloten, 1991). Nevertheless, these differences were predictably over-simplifications because both sides presented varied and often conflicting ideologies exemplified in their ranks. The revolution united and socialized Spanish Industry and agriculture and was propelled jointly by the peasants and workers. The Spanish revolution presents as the conflict that later ignited further rivalries in other parts of the world (Murphy, 2010).
The French revolution presents the political activities in France that started in 1789, lasting for almost a decade. This essentially highlights the era of a pronounced social-political unrest in French and Europe. The revolution prompted the end of the system of monarch that had governed France for centuries (Murphy, 2010). The revolution initiated with the establishment of the Estate-General in 1789. The first years of the upheaval was marked by activities such as the Third Estate’s assertion of the Tennis Court Oath, the attack of the Bastille and the enactment of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This was followed by the aggressive march on Versailles that obliged the royal court back to Paris. The subsequent years witnessed marked tensions between the conventional monarchy intent and the liberal masses on disturbing major reforms. The Directory assumed authority over the French states in 1795 after the collapse of the Robespierre and Jacobins. With time, the Consulate under Napoleon Bonaparte replaced the Directory (Schwab, Jeanneney, & Hofstra University, 1995).
The French community witnessed rigorous changes as religious, feudal and aristocratic ideologies assumed a new perspective following the persistent activities of various political groups and aggressive masses. The revolution resulted to a situation where the traditional ideologies regarding hierarchy and customs were overtaken by the new Enlightenment concepts of absolute rights and citizenship. Historians account that, besides the local forces and activism, external threats also assumed a vital role in the development of the French revolution. Internally, common sentiments radicalized the insurgency substantially, prompting the Reign of Terror in 1993 to 1794, which resulted to execution of about 30, 000 people (Schwab, Jeanneney, & Hofstra University, 1995).
The class of elites who pioneered this revolution was motivated by the need of changing the social life in the France. They mainly advocated for Fraternity, Liberty and Equality. The country experienced financial bankruptcy as medieval feudal community oppressed the serf-peasants. The revolution was characterized with the execution of King and Queen, and its ultimate product included the establishment of the Napoleon Bonaparte who brought glory in France while ending feudalism in Europe (Allison, 2011). The development of liberal democracies and republics, the adoption of the concept of secularism and the growth of modern ideologies such as equality, highlights the effect of the Revolution. Prominent events attributable to Revolution also include the Napoleonic battles, reinstatement of the monarchy and the emergence of other revolts in French at a future date (Ross, 2001).
The American Revolution is exemplified by the political disturbance witnessed in America towards the end of the 18th century. During this period, thirteen colonies in the North America united and isolated themselves from the British Empire. They united to create the United States of America. These colonies initially challenged the authority of the Parliament of the Great Britain to control them from overseas without representation. They later disqualified all royal officials establishing their local systems. Each colony established an autonomous system by 1774 (Allison, 2011). The British authority retaliated by sending military troops to re-impose direct control. However, the colonies universally staged an Army resistance against the British forces to protect their respective autonomous states. Eventually, the states cooperatively established that the British monarchy could no longer legally claim their allegiance because of its actions of tyranny (Ross, 2001). The revolts favored the colonies as the Congress proclaimed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. With this Declaration, the Congress abandoned the monarchy on behalf of the new nation. The Americans became victorious as the war ended in 1781. Furthermore, there was the adoption of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, in which British formally abandoned any claims to the United States (Allison, 2011).
The American Revolution prompted a series of political, social and intellectual changes within the American community and government. The American successfully objected the oligarchies assumed in Aristocratic Europe (Murphy, 2010). In the contrast, they advocated for the establishment of republicanism, which was informed by the concept of liberalism. A major outcome of the revolution includes the establishment of a representative government accountable to the will of the people.
Conclusion
The Spanish, French and American revolutions are historical events of high relevance. These revolutions pioneered revolts that prompted radical changes that have defined the state of affairs in the modern world. The revolutions mainly included uprising and activism against the traditional political systems that were dictatorial, discriminative and oppressive. In essence, these revolutions championed the development and adoption of modern political ideologies that promote concepts such as respect to the will of people, liberalism and democracy among others.
References
Allison, R. J. (2011). The American Revolution: A concise history. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bolloten, B. (1991). The Spanish Civil War: Revolution and counterrevolution. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
Murphy, D. P. (2010). The Everything American Revolution Book: From the Boston Massacre to the Campaign at Yorktown-all you need to know about the birth of our nation. Cincinnati: F+W Media.
Ross, S. (2001). The French Revolution. London: Evans.
Schwab, G. M., Jeanneney, J. R., & Hofstra University. (1995). The French Revolution of 1789 and its impact. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
