Bryan's Conexions

 

 1- How did the Enlightenment influence the Age of Revolutions? (Use at least three revolutions in your response.)

 

       John Locke’s political ideas, philosopher from the Age of Enlightenment, were crucial for the American, Rio de la Plata and Brazilian Revolutions because they gave to its people the exact type of government they wanted in order to rebel against their oppressors and become independent countries.  In USA, when the time of writing a declaration of independence came in which Tomas Jefferson put down all the reasons why they must be independent, the influence of John Locke is clear when looking at the words and ideas Jefferson used. In his book, Second Treatise on Government (1689), Locke said, “When they (men) enter into society, give up the equality, liberty, and power… into the hands of the government, it is only… to preserve his life, his liberty and property… When the government shall to transgress this fundamental rule... It falls to the people… to provide for their own safety… Revolutions happen not upon every little mismanagement in public affairs, but after a long train of abuses.” In the other hand, in 1776 Jefferson wrote, “they (men) are endowed by the creator with certain rights… Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-That to secure     these rights, Governments are instituted among Men… Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to alter or to abolish it… [it] should not be changed for light and transient causes… but when a long train of abuses…” In addition, Rio de la Plata’s revolution against Spain was also inspired by the Age of Enlightenment. José de San Martin’s (Argentina) arguments to be independent were based on Locke’s ideas; he said that the royal authority was to legitimate but as long as the royal family did not rule tyrannically, in such case, the people had the right to overthrow the tyrant. In that way, as Spain was the tyrant, they decided to proclaim themselves as independents. Finally, a group called Inconfidencia Mineira began a movement inspired by John Locke’s type of government in 1792. This group was formed by many wealthy men who were educated abroad and knew about the ideas from the Enlightenment. Later, that same year, the leader of the group, José Da Silva Xavier, was killed and parts of his body were sent to different states in Brazil, but this instead of causing fear, caused other movements. The Age of Enlightenment was the main key that boasted revolutions in United States, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. This is known by the similarities between John Locke’s political philosophy and what the leaders of the revolutions gave as reasons to declare independence. Thanks to this, today people from those countries have the same rights, there is no slavery anymore and the government’s job is just to protect their natural rights.

 

 

 

 

2- The French Revolution was a major world event. Not only did it topple the French monarchy, it caused a ripple effect around the world. How did the French revolution cause other revolutions? (Use at least three revolutions: Brazil, Haiti, and another of your choice).

 

      The French Revolution (1789-1791) was a giant event that, by its ideas or results, indirectly affected or inspired other revolutions in the Americas from countries that were looking for equality and citizen rights, specifically the Brazil, Haiti, and New Granada. When people in France began to be tired of the inequality of rights they had and wanted to overthrow their king Louis XVl, a group of non-noble men wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens, a document in which they wrote the rights all men must have. In 1804, a man who was born into slavery was tired of seeing his people be poor and extremely unfair threatened. As a result, he, inspired by the Declaration of Rights in France, led a revolution in which 90% of the population fought against white men (who by the time were a minority) in order to give social equality to his people. Moreover, the French invasion of Spain was fundamental to the revolution in New Granada (now, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador). Initially, New Granada was governed by a monarchy which imposed laws and controlled everything, but when the French overthrew the Spanish king, Spain remained weakened and people saw that as an incredible opportunity to revolt. For that reason, people in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador also overdrew their Spanish representatives and set up Juntas to rule in the name of their last leaders. In that way, they began to break some of the laws stablished by Spain as trading with other non-Spanish colonies. Then, when the crown in Spain was stable again, the king created the Bourbon Reforms, a brutal reinforcement of laws and policies, but people in New Granada wanted to have a new government and led by Simon Bolivar who said: “The rule of law is more powerful than the rule of tyrants”, New Granada started a new revolution and independence was reached in 1820. In Brazil the French Revolution was the main key for independence as well as a long term cause. When the French started to invade other countries and even started to replace the kings in those countries, the royal family in Portugal fled to its wealthier colony: Brazil. As Dom Joao felt in love with Brazil and didn’t want to move the crown again to Portugal when the French was finally defeated, Portuguese citizens created revolts in Lisbon and Oporto which forced the king to came back but not without living his son, Dom Pedro, as ruler of Brazil. Then, as Brazil reached the tittle of State instead of Colony, the Portuguese created the Cortes, parliaments in charge of turning Brazil into a colony again, but this reached the fury of Dom Pedro and he proclaimed Brazil as independence with his speech called “Fico” or “I will remain”. Even if the French Revolution did not affect Haiti, New Granada, and Brazil directly, its ideas (Declaration of Rights of Man) or results (invasions) contributed in the rise of their revolutions as the signal they were waiting to claim independence.      

 

 

 

 

3- Inequality – social, political, and economic – often causes revolutions. What role did inequality play in the age of revolutions? (Use at least three revolutions in your response, France and two others of your choice.)

 

       Social, political and economic disadvantages were the main causes to explain the why for the French, Brazilian and Mexican revolution between 1789 and 1822. As there was an Absolute Monarchy in France, only the noblemen were who took every decision for the country, had rights and property leaving the peasants and even the middle class with nothing more than their work. Peasants had to paid taxes that sometimes were illogically high for them; leading them to a state of poverty which was impossible to escape. This even led to the creation of The Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens in 1791. The same situation was repeated in Brazil. The movement of the Portuguese crown brought many different improvements to Brazil as the creation of schools and universities, the banking system, print of their own paper money and its new tittle as State. But at the same time, it brought many drawbacks as social discrimination from Portuguese to Brazilians, high taxes for the miners and other peasants and the fact that slavery increased significantly due to the high production of sugar and coffee. In the other hand, in Mexico people suffered of the effects of the Bourdon Reforms. Due to that group of new legislations, taxes and hard laws were increased as well as the military control in the colony; indigenous and slaves didn’t have any rights, lived in poverty and were highly discriminated. Discrimination, lack of rights, power, and decision and high taxes were just some of the many social, political and economic inequalities that led revolutions as the French, Brazilian and Mexican one. Today, the eradication of those injustices serves as an example for the new generations to look forward and continue fighting against inequalities.    

 

 

 

 

4-Overall, what caused these populations to risk life and future by rebelling against the government? In other words: why did these revolutions take place, and why did so many of them take place during this period?

 

       What caused many of the rebellions from colonies against their governors between 1700 and 1900 were the philosophical and political ideas proposed during the Age of Enlightenment, the example and success took from other revolutions and all the social, political and economic inequalities suffered by non-noble groups. During the 17th century, many intellectuals and high educated people in Europe started to question their current system of government and started publishing their utopic ideas of their perfect government- from democracies, monarchies, aristocracies, oligarchies to many others-. Since then, common people began to adopt those ideologies and started to compare them with their government, deciding which one was better for them. Most people fell in love with the philosopher John Locke given that he said that the government must protect people’s natural rights such preservation of life, freedom, and private property. As a result, as their current government did not accomplish what they wanted, the revolutions flourished. Those countries that decided to reveal first as United States of America and France and succeed with their objective were used as the main examples in most of the other revolutions that later raised. They were an inspiration, an example to follow, and a motivation to never give up that showed them that independence could be reached. As John Locke says that people must rebel only after “a long train of abuses”, people’s reasons to explain their rebellions in North, Central and South America were the inequalities. During the 18th century every non-noble suffered of social, political or economic disadvantages. For example, natives and black people were highly discriminated by the place they were born or the color of their skin. Creoles could not have places in any part of the government. Peasants and slaves could not have any type of properties. Finally, taxes were constantly increased to the point they were impossible to pay, people could not speak against the government, and people could not do any type of governmental decision. Thanks to the Enlightenment, inspiration from other revolutions and all the inequalities suffered, revolutions flourished almost in the same period of time and the countries that exist now were created with more rights to offer to their people.