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Was There A Causal Relationship Between The American And French Revolution

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Historians have many different perspectives on how the American Revolution may have impacted the French Revolution. In the essay “French Revolution: Was there a Causal Relationship Between the American and French Revolutions?” The author goes in depth about the different perspectives the historians had with much evidence to support both claims. The two claims are... Yes, the American Revolution did contribute to the uprising of the French Revolution by impacting the monetary crisis and the dissatisfaction of the people in France by providing the people with a model for political reform. And no, the American Revolution did not contribute to the uprising of the French Revolution because the revolution was issued due to government debt, harvesting …show more content…

The idea of a constitutional republic arose through the American Revolution and influenced many policymakers and political thinkers in France (French Revolution). The French helped America abundantly. The monetary support towards America during the American Revolution fueled the fiscal crisis that France would grow to have (French Revolution). In the essay “French Revolution: Was there a Causal Relationship Between the American and French Revolutions?” it states “This enormous financial expenditure greatly added to the enormous debt and contributed to rapid inflation and increased cost of living, factors that were critical in the coming of the French Revolution”. This indicates the contribution the American Revolution had on some of the main issues that led to the French Revolution. Not only did the French monetarily support America, but the French Monarch also even sought to relax the government censorship which allowed French intellectuals to write hundreds of books, pamphlets, and articles that analyzed the American institution (French Revolution). This fueled French aristocrats' and commoners' desire for social and political reforms. Though the books alone did not fuel the desire for reform, but also the French military officers who had engaged in the …show more content…

France had already been dealing with government debt, harvesting issues, class distinction, and opposition to the king long before the American Revolution was in the picture. From this point of view, France was bound to have a revolution. King Louis XIV (Reigned 1643 – 1715) had gained lots of debt when building the Palace of Versailles, the debt then fell onto King Louis XV (Reigned 1715 – 1774), and not just that, the defeat in the Seven Years war against Britain left France ashamed and in a pile of debt, leading them to declare bankruptcy (French Revolution). By the time that King Louis XVI reigned, the country was on the brink of financial collapse, and aside from that, he did not try hard to restore the economic structure of France (French Revolution). Because of the way King Louis XVI handled monetary issues, the popularity of the royal family decreased and public complaints against the fiscal system increased, promoting revolutionary thoughts amongst the people of France (French Revolution). Aside from monetary issues, agricultural issues arose as well. Between 1770 – 1788, France experienced disastrous harvests and a drought in 1785 that led to a decrease in livestock, and in 1786 France and Britain signed a treaty that only benefited Britain and left France with many losses (French Revolution). In addition to this,

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