Notes

5.2: The Enlightenment’s Influence

 

As a result of Enlightenment ideals and nationalism, revolutions took place around the world. These revolutions were motivated by the philosophies of reason and natural law. In this section we will begin to explore the causes of this phenomenon: 

 

→ A direct example of these ideas fueling revolution can be exemplified in Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, which referenced John Locke’s ideas when referring to the unalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Jefferson proposed that all citizens are entitled to these rights and initiated a revolt against the British due to their ignorance of them. 

 

→ Nationalism: often due to suppression under larger empires, many people believed that groups with a shared language/religion/territory should be entitled to have their own sovereign states and rule.

 

In this course, we will dive deep into various revolutions to see these phenomena in action. Let’s begin with the Atlantic Revolutions:

 

1. American Revolution: The primary cause of the American Revolution was the restrictive British mercantilist policies. A lack of representation in government led to an increased desire for political independence. The American colonists earned their liberty in 1783.

2. French Revolution: immense debt from previous wars and the American Revolution. At the time, France also upheld a system called the Estates-General where society was divided into three sectors (estates). These included the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility) and the commoners (Third Estate). While the Third Estate made up over 90% of the population, they were deprived of various privileges in the National Assembly. This led to a revolution movement led by Napoleon Bonaparte, which was inspired by the prior American Revolution and targeted to replace the French monarchy. A key document of the French Revolution included the Declaration of Rights of Man, established early on, which declared the need for basic human rights amongst the French population. Eventually, the radical Jacobins group led the Reign of Terror which led to the execution of the French king and queen, establishing a new republic under Napoleon Bonaparte. 

3. Haitian Revolution: Haiti, which may be referred to as St. Domingue, was a wealthy French sugar colony where the enslaved population and Maroons (formerly enslaved population) led a revolt against their exploitation. 

I. This revolution was led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, who was an Enlightenment-educated former slave. Under his strategic leadership, Haiti became the first independent Black Republic and the first American nation to abolish slavery, setting a precedent for the rest of the world.

1. Latin American Revolutions: Creole populations (who were individuals of European descent born in the Americas), were upset with the economic and political power of peninsulares (people born in Spain and Portugal who resided in the Americas).

I. Taking inspiration from previous revolutionary successes and Enlightenment ideals, the creole population under the leadership of Simon Bolivar led various independence movements throughout South America. 

II. Specifically, Simon Bolivar’s Jamaica Letter outlined causes for revolution and initiated the process. 

 

Outside of these specific revolutions, various nationalistic movements arose:

 

→ The New Zealand Wars: The native Maori tribes embodied their nationalism while fighting the British off of their land, although the British won in 1872. 

→ Italian and German Unification: nationalist sentiment throughout fragmented states led to movements aiming to unify these sections into powerful, bigger nations.

→Balkan Nationalism: as the Ottomans grew weaker, various ethnic groups throughout the Balkans hoped to achieve independence and establish nations based on a shared culture/language. 

• Ottomanism arose to combat Balkan nationalism, where the Ottoman government hoped to look over these ethnic differences and maintain a unified state.