AddisonDM 15:36, 30 March 2009 (EDT)
1.Answer 1: What! Five words or less? Answer 2: I think I did well.
- Impressive statement of confidence. Well done ... you were right.
2.The religious wars in England led to two desires, that for religious freedom, and that for freedom in general, including less power by the oppressive monarchs and state church. As England persecuted non-Anglicans and experienced several decades of violence, the Pilgrims (and others) desiring self-government and religious freedom began to migrate to America, laying the groundwork for the new and freer American nation.
- Excellent.
3.The French Revolution’s premise was good. As in the American Revolution, the French people revolted against the oppressive and careless ruling class or monarchy, which restricted freedom and lived decadently based on high taxes. The problems with the French Revolution were that it was not founded in Christianity or belief in God, and that it lacked a good structure or strong leader, like the Continental Congress and George Washington. While America’s War for Independence was managed by these, no one managed the anarchy that France descended into during the Reign of Terror.
- Superb ... and terrific wikilinking!
4.The Haitian Revolution was really a well-managed slave rebellion, which defeated France while it was pressed for money. Unfortunately, the Haitian Revolution failed to create a stable government or much better conditions.
- Right, unfortunately.
5.Actually, while revolutions became more common due to the Enlightenment idea of the social contract and the greater proliferation of harsh and absolutist rulers, I think at least the idea, if not the action, existed hundreds of years earlier. For example, Polybius, a Greek historian in the 100s BC, expanded on the theory of Anacyclosis, which actually began with Plato and Aristotle. It asserts that society begins with a monarchy, which eventually becomes a tyranny. Then, the upper class takes over the government and institutes an aristocracy. This in turn becomes corrupt and turns into an oligarchy, and finally the people revolt and establish democracy. Thus, the idea of the people revolting against an oppressive government and instituting their own existed even before Christ.
The Peasant Revolts in Europe during the late Middle Ages consisted of peasants revolting against lords and aristocrats for a variety of reasons, including taxes. In China, various dynasties and emperors were deposed by peasant revolts. While the revolts in China never established a new form of government, they demonstrated that people realized when their freedom or quality of life was being infringed on by the government, and often acted upon that.
Why were revolutions so common during the Age of Revolution? Perhaps the Greek theories on revolution were not discovered again until the Renaissance, and not popularized and expanded upon until the Enlightenment. But the point is that the Age of Revolution did not invent revolution.
- You make your argument well, and support it thoroughly. A minor quibble: I had to fix a few of your misspellings (use the compare feature in the file history to see what I fixed). Superb answer overall ... this could be a model answer!
Honors
1.I think that politics follows art, culture, music, etc. Most influential ideas, for example Manifest Destiny in the United States or the Revolutionary period in Europe, began with people. The development of these ideas is of course influenced by politics- the people would not begin to desire revolution if the rulers were fair and just- but the source of these ideas in the indescribable feeling of the nation as a whole- what I call the “Collective national mind.” Revolutionary art and music happened because the national mind was feeling revolution, and astute artists and politicians picked up on that. There is a phrase that goes, “The politician looks at the polls to decide his positions,” and I think that’s how the revolutionary music and culture began.
A politician can also influence the people, such as in the case of Barack Obama creating the peoples’ desire for “change.” But because this was a created and unsubstantiated rhetorical device, it did not last past election day, while the ideas that develop in the collective national mind are much more influential.
- Terrific analysis.
4.The basic idea behind a revolution is that the government is accountable to the people, and that when the government oversteps its authority, the people have a right to change it. While it was a revolutionary idea, this “Social contract” theory makes sense, since it is true that all people inherently have equal rights. This is in fact a Christian idea; Jesus invited the poor and the crippled and the lepers to the dinner table, unrightfully reserved for the rich. One Bible verse which could implicate the theory of revolution is Matthew 22:21, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s….” However, Christ did not condemn wealth or private ownership, and thus not all money actually is Caesar’s. In fact, Caesar all-too-often takes more than his share. When this happens, Caesar is not receiving what is his, but taking what is not his. In this verse, implicit support for revolution can be found, as the verse implies that Caesar’s power is not unlimited.
- Wow, that's incredibly insightful! Will use as a model!
- Terrific answers. 70/70. Perfect!--Andy Schlafly 23:13, 4 April 2009 (EDT)