A Comparison of Pre--Revolutionary Situations

             ECONOMY:.
             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. .
             In America the Stamp Act for example was one of the most crucial steps in the conflict stirring up a cease-fire of vehement verbal resistance. It was a tax on all official papers like legal documents or news papers produced in America, collected by English for England. The Act was seen as a meddling of England in inner American affairs an intrusion without any rightful legal footing. This was leading to a discussion of the legitimization of decisions of the English parliament concerning America. It also raised the question of sovereignty and finally brought the American revolutionary leaders to the point where they started to question the English authority altogether.
             It was certainly the need for money on the English side that made them introduce the Act that gave the American an opportunity to challenge their mother country, but it was not the financial loss or economic problems coming from it that caused this reaction but the Act itself.
             In France it was also the need for money led to the attempt to change the system of taxation and finally to the calling of the Estates General whose consent was needed to do this.