MAJOR REVOLUTIONS
Revolutions have occurred throughout human history and vary widely in terms of methods, duration and motivating ideology. Their results include major changes in cultures, economy and socio-political institutions.
Several generations of scholarly thoughts on revolutions have generated many competing theories and contribute much to the current understanding of this complex phenomenon.
The Renaissance
The renaissance is a period in European history from 14th to 17th centuries regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern History.
The intellectual basis of the Renaissance was its own invented version of humanism, derived from the rediscovery of classical Greek Philosophy. Such as that of Protagoras, who said that, “Man is the measure of all things.”
In politics, the Renaissance contributed to the development of the customs and conventions of diplomacy, and in science to an increased reliance on observation and inductive reasoning.
During the Renaissance, money and art went hand in hand. Artists depended entirely on Patron while the Patrons needed money to foster artistic talent.
Reformation
It was a Schism from the Roman catholic church initiated by Martin Luther and continued by John Calvin, and other early protestant reformers in the early 16th century in Europe.
Luther began it by criticising the selling of indulgences, insisting that the pope had no authority over Purgatory and that the catholic doctrine of the merits of saints had no foundation in the Gospel.
The new movement influenced the Church of England decisively after 1547 under Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
The Church of England had been made independent under Henry VIII in the early 1530s for political rather than religious reasons.
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution started around the second half of the 18th century. This period witnessed changes in the manufacturing processes from slow to faster and expensive hand production to cheaper machine production.
Industrial revolution started in England to fulfil the growing demands for goods, both at domestic and international level.
A number of factors contributed to industrial revolution in England.They are as follows
England had great deposits of coal and iron ores.
England was a politically stable society as well as the world’s leading colonial power, which meant its colonies could serve as a source for raw materials, as well as a marketplace for manufactured goods.
As demand for goods increased, merchants needed more cost-effective methods of production, which led to the rise of mechanisation and the factory system.
The agricultural sector of the British economy had been steadily growing during the 18th century.
Agricultural stability allowed the British population to increase.
The industrial revolution started chiefly from the Textile Industry. In 1733, a weaver called John Kay invented a Flying Shuttle, by which the work of weaving could be done quickly.
In 1785, Edmund Cartwright invented ‘Powerloom’ Elly Whitley invented a cotton ginning machine called Cotton gin. James Watt invented the steam engine, the first railway line was built between Manchester and Liverpool in 1830.
The growth of production increased the wealth of Great Britain and by 1815, England emerged as the greatest banker and the largest carrier of goods in the world.
Due to the industrial revolution, by the close of the 19th century, science and technology became an integral part of Western society.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The American revolution is also called the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). The conflict arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown.
In 1765, members of American colonial society rejected the authority of the British Parliament to tax them and to create other laws affecting them without colonial representatives in the government.
The Battles of the American revolution started in Lexington on 19th April, 1775. These were over 20 major battles during the revolution spanning over a period of 6 years.
General George Washington, with the help of France and his continental army defeated British General Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown on 19th October, 1781.
Finally, the Treaty of Paris ended the revolution officially on 3rd September, 1783.
BOSTON TEA PARTY
During the following decade, protests continued to escalate by colonists (known as Patriots) in the Boston Tea Party in 1773, during which patriots destroyed a consignment of taxed tea from the Parliament controlled and favoured East India Company.
The British responded by imposing punitive laws on Massachusetts in 1774 known as the Coercive Acts.
In late 1774, the Patriots set-up their own alternative government to better coordinate their resistance efforts against Great Britain, while other colonists, known as Loyalists remained aligned to the British Crown.
Causes of Success
French Involvement After the American victory at Saratoga, the French in 1778 (later Spain in 1779 and Holland in 1780) realised that Britain could be defeated, and they joined the fight against the British. Without France’s military power, the Americans would never have had the capacity of defeating the superior British army.
Since the British Government was geographically separated from the places of battle, it was difficult for it to effectively manage and communicate with troops.
Fighting on Home Soil British armies were not familiar with the climate and rugged terrain of America. Therefore, the colonists had the geographical advantage because they knew how to survive the land.
Guerilla Warfare British armies were not acclimated to guerilla warfare, which the colonists had used during their wars with the Indians. Therefore, the British could not defend themselves well against a fighting strategy they had never seen before. Washington’s use of these and other defensive strategies allowed for considerable American advantage.
Popular Support Many colonies, even if they weren’t fighting, were supportive of the cause. Popular support boosted morale among soldiers and encouraged them to push through the tough times.
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