The Enlightenment and Atlantic Revolutions

I. Introduction

    A. In 1989, celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution coincided with the Chinese
    government’s crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.

      1. The French Revolution was the centerpiece of a revolutionary process all around the Atlantic world   
      between 1775 and 1875

      2. Atlantic revolutions had an impact far beyond the Atlantic world
          a. French invasions of Egypt, Poland, and Russia
          b. inspired efforts to abolish slavery, give women greater rights, and extend the franchise in many  
          countries
          c. nationalism was shaped by revolutions
          d. principles of equality eventually gave birth to socialism and communism

II. Comparing Atlantic Revolutions
  
   A. The revolutions of North America, Europe, Haiti, and Latin America influenced each
    other.
       1. they also shared a set of common ideas
       2. grew out of the European Enlightenment
          a. notion that it is possible to engineer, and improve, political and social life
          b. traditional ways of thinking were no longer sacrosanct
      3. the core political idea was “popular sovereignty”—that the authority to govern
      comes from the people, not from God or tradition
         a. John Locke (1632–1704) argued that the “social contract” between ruler and ruled should last only  
         as long as it served the people well
      4. except in Haiti, the main beneficiaries of revolution were middle-class white males
          a. but in the long term, the revolution gave ammunition to groups without political rights
          b. goal was to extend political rights further than ever before, so can be called “democratic revolutions”
      5. considerable differences between the Atlantic revolutions