A Comparison of Pre--Revolutionary Situations

When I talk about the pre-Revolutionary time that means the time before the revolutionary act. In England that revolutionary act was the abdication of the king by the reinstalled parliament of Charles II in 1688, in America the Declaration of Independence in 1776, in France the declaration of the Third Estate to be the National Assembly in June 1789 and in Ireland the rising in 1798.

The most significant similarity is certainly the intention to change something. Th

Many people consider a poor economical situation one of the most major factors for a revolution. As for these four revolutions, economic problems played only a minor role in their beginning or even none at all, although it started the actual open conflict leading to the revolutions in America, France and Ireland. The English revolution of 1688 had no obvious economic motivation . In France and America the “economic problems” at the beginning was the rising or invention of taxes. It was rather the circumstance providing an opportunity to bring up other questions of more importance and a wider impact that actually led to the revolution than the burden of the sanctions themselves. It was the symbolic character 'and', 'or' the change of regulations they implied that was of importance.

self-confidence and wealth members of the bourgeoisie worked their way up to higher administrational positions until they reached a level where the posts were reserved for members or relatives of the aristocracy. As their importance for the running of the state grew, along with the development of the Enlightenment and Natural Law providing them with theoretical background, they began to demand more and became ever more unsatisfied with their situation. As the aristocracy in France started their rebellion against the kings intention to equalize the taxation system that was leading to the Estates General that finally gave the Third estate the opportunity to demand what was, as they believed, their right: The right to take part in the decision making process, the abolition of the restrictions for high positions - equality. The new class, the bourgeoisie, were the people who were developing the revolutionary ideas, carrying them throughout the country and finally leading revolution as most of the representatives of the Third Estate belonged to that class.

As the revolutions did not occur at the same time, at different places and different societies the ideological background and the state of political thinking were in some ways different although the ideas were in at least the ones of the nineteenth century quite alike; As the previous revolutions had naturally a certain impact and provided also a certain background for the following ones.

The system of the government, representing the society, was nearly the same, but the powers of the various parts were almost exchanged as of course was the way the representatives came to their positions.

The situation in France was quite different. We also have three classes there, but during the eighteenth century a change in the third took place, the rise and formation of the bourgeoisie. These people coming from the middle class become educated and have the possibility to become wealthy through the profits they make in trade. With the growing of

Some topics in this essay:
James II, Society England, Third Estate, Assembly June, Europe America, French Irish, , Natural Law, Ireland England, England Act, english revolution, third estate, french irish, revolutionary act, american revolution, share power, natural law, social political structure, rising 1798, liberty equality, civil liberty,