"Should we compare the French and American Revolutions?" Topic

"Comparisons of the American and French Revolutions are one of the oldest in the book. They started right off the bat, as Americans looked across the Atlantic to unfolding events in France, seeking evidence either to continue their own revolutionary struggles begun in the 1770s or to definitively end them.

The fact that this comparison started right away and often served political ends should give us pause…"

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Armand

I don't think that any conflicts labeled a "Revolution" stand up to facile comparison.
Unless Americans want to claim that ours was a rather bloodless one compared to the French, Russian or Chinese ones. We had no "Terrors", for one thing. Very few massacres, and the losers had very little in the line of lives list.

How politicians twist facts and comparisons is another matter.

I took American Revolution and French Revolution courses in college and later in graduate school. No comparison. The mob did not rule in America. Nor were their mass executions of the opposing forces.

I am sure that you can find some things where there are parallels but I don't think there would be many l

No. The Dutch Revolt and the 80 Years War is a closer fit, minus the religious component.

Religion was important in the American Revolution. I spent several weeks in a graduate class that discussed it. We are talking mostly uneducated men who were heavily influenced by the men in the pulpit. Church of England/ Anglican/ Episcopal pastors tended to support the Crown and Loyalist cause. Presbyterian and other separatist denominations supported the Patriot cause. I imagine there were exceptions since family rivalry dominated side choices.

"…uneducated men"?
Their overall literacy was quite high.

I take away two things from comparing the two revolutions:

1) How lucky we are to have had the men leading the revolution who did lead it. They were willing to sacrifice everything for freedom. Those who led the French revolution were willing to sacrifice anyone for their political gain.

2) How very differently the two societies reacted to similar situations. The Anglo-Saxons, used to various forms of representative democracy from town halls, to Parliament, formed a government and became a republic. The French, used to an absolute monarchy, turned to the mob followed by a dictatorship.

We see echos of both societies today. Americans jealously defend our rights while Europeans on the mainland still give up their rights to increasingly remote government.

Thanks.

Armand

If you can find it, Irving Kristol's "The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution" 1976 compares the two at length.

Thanks also…

Armand

"Europeans on the mainland still give up their rights to increasingly remote government."

I don't think the French, who have national strikes and mass protests at the drop of a Bonnet de Liberté,manifest great distrust of 'le centrism' would entirely agree.

American Revolution? The Mexican Revolution I assume, there is another in North America
the "Europeans" are not the French and France is not the Europeans or Europe
if the US think they can speak in the name of America and 21 others Latinoamerican States more Canada and etc, it doesn't work like that in the Old Continent

I believe the French, en général, would class themselves as Europeans, would they not?

no, ni en général ni en caporal, simply as French who don't care about Europe or feel a deep distrust towards such antinational organization perceived as hostile to their values being replaced in particular by those coming from USA : federalism antistatism and even worst communautarism wokism racialisation of the people,
so precisely the opposite of the heritage from French Revolution and a true cultural declaration of war to French culture and a cancer for the French society
the United States of 'Europe', I recall they have as symbol the celebration of Waterloo in 2015 that should appear on the €uropean currency, the anglo-german-belgian-dutch- "European victory" over France, all is said

Well, if you read my previous again and dial down tha bile a notch, you might see that was my point.

what? I have read both and I replied precisely to your second post and question, that's all

I think citizens of the USA might await the result of the next presidential election before commenting on other country's attitudes to freedom viz a viz their own.

Glup!…

Armand