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Kadish
January 30, 1995
Period 2
During the eighteenth century, both the American colonies and the French fought revolutionary wars in order to overthrow their respective governments. Although both revolutionary groups had a similar goal, freedom from the ruling crown, the two groups had major differences in the techniques used and in the numbers of political and national forces they battled.
In the 1700's, both France and the American colonies decided that the taxation imposed on them and the way that the king used their money was unfair. After consideration over the proper way to correct this perceived wrong, the parties felt they had no choice but to go to war. After years of fighting, both the French and the Americans were successful and achieved the freedom and new government that they had desired.
The American Revolution began in 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It officially ended in 1789 with the inauguration of George Washington as President. At almost the same time as the inauguration, the French Revolution began. It started in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille in Paris. The French Revolution did not fully end until 1802, when Napoleon signed a peace treaty with Britain. The two revolutions lasted about the same amount of time. The American Revolution spanned a period of fourteen years; the French, thirteen.
The major difference between these two wars was that America just wanted to be free from the British King and France wanted to change the entire way of life in France. Organization was also another major factor. The Americans set up plans for attack and what they would do after they gained their freedom. The French, on the other hand, were extremely disorganized with their plans and methods. In addition, the colonies received help from the French but fought only British troops. The French, during their revolution, received no help but fought not only invading soldiers but also fought inside other countries.
During the revolution in French, the leaders often were replaced by others. Each time this occurred, the plans for the future and the government were changed. Even the methods for fighting were disorganized. The French killed the French. Many of the killers were citizens and not the Army. The army was weak and untrained, resulting in unusual fighting methods causing a high number of casualties in their own army. The judicial system was also in chaos, with innocent people thrown in jail and convicted of treason. They met their deaths at the hands of an angry mob.
The different factions within France constantly battled for power. The French were strongly divided into two groups. The majority of Frenchmen supported the King and the changes that the recent Assemblies had invoked. The Revolutionaries, who lived primarily in Paris, wanted to overthrow the king, the church, and the nobility.
It has been said that the Revolutionaries in Paris and a quarter of France were fighting Europe and three-quarters of France. Uprisings broke out within France against whomever was in control of France at the time. A committee was formed to achieve unity and loyalty through terror. It began killing people from opposing rebellious groups and a period known as the Reign of Terror began. During this time, not only was the guillotine and much hard fighting used to put down rebellions, but cannons were also employed to destroy their countrymen. In one city, men with the permission of the committee were packed onto barges and then the barges were slowly sunk.
The French Revolution as a whole was accidental. In an attempt to change the government from a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, France succeeded in causing a war that involved nearly all of Europe as well as creating the revolution within itself. For a while, no firm leadership existed. Surrounding countries decided to intervene to support the King and Queen, causing more confusion and fighting within France.
In contrast, the American Revolution was planned over a number of years by the Continental Congress. Troops were set up to battle the British. A single government ran the country while the war was fought. The colonies were divided only between the Tories (those who sided with the King) and the Whigs (who wanted to establish their own country). The "battles" that occurred between these two groups were predominantly verbal. The only cruel or unusual punishment invoked upon the Tories was that some were placed in jail or had their land confiscated by the government. Neither torture nor death was employed.
Despite the differences between the armies' methods and the countries' internal struggles, the outcome of the wars in these two countries was basically the same. The country and governments were reestablished the way the people wanted, without a monarchy and with an elected form of government. A wise man once said, "The only difference between a civil war and a revolutionary war is the winner."