What sparked the American Revolution adn French Revolution?

Question

What sparked the American Revolution adn French Revolution?

Answer 1

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Enlightenment for their ideas were key element in both of these revolutions.  For the Americans, it was people like John Locke and Montesquieu and Thomas Paine.  For the French Revolution it was these men plus people like Rousseau, Burke, Beccaria.

Google these guys and find out what their basic ideas were, you will soon see where they fit in to each revolution.

Answer 2

American Revolution main cause was the economy.

French Revolution cause was political.

The latter one deeply influenced the whole world. The former only famous in the U.S.

Answer 3

While there were numerous factors contributing to the American and French Revolutions, one was certainly the invention of the printing press.  Prior to the printing press, the knowledge contained in texts was the province of people with power -- and they did not share it.  Once the printing press made it easier to reproduce these texts, more people became literate and educated.  This prompted them to realize, "Hey, the king isn't special - he's not smarter than me," and poof! Divine Right of Kings eats the dust.  Philosophers such as Hobbes and Rousseau also promoted that idea that "all men are created equal," and many of their ideas became incorporated into the slogans and documents of the revolutions.

Consider this:  The printing press made it easier to reproduce knowledge, but it was still difficult to distribute it.  The internet makes distribution worldwide instantaneously, and it crosses boundaries easily.  Buckle your seat belt -- there are more revolutions ahead.  Hopefully, they won't use guillotines and weapons of mass destruction.

Answer 4

American Revolution:

The revolutionary era began in 1763, when the French military threat to British North American colonies ended. Adopting the view that the colonies should pay a substantial portion of the costs associated with keeping them in the Empire, Britain imposed a series of taxes followed by other laws that proved extremely unpopular. Because the colonies lacked elected representation in the governing British Parliament many colonists considered the laws to be illegitimate and a violation of their rights as Englishmen. Beginning in 1772, Patriot groups began to create committees of correspondence which would lead to their own Provincial Congress in each of most of the colonies. In the course of a few years, the Provincial Congresses or their equivalents effectively replaced the British ruling apparatus in the former colonies, culminating in 1774 with the unifying Continental Congress.

French Revolution:

The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of political and social upheaval in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of nationalism, citizenship, and inalienable rights.

These changes were accompanied by violent turmoil, including executions and repression during the Reign of Terror, and warfare involving every other major European power. Subsequent events that can be traced to the Revolution include the Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions as modern France took shape.

These answers can go into much more depth. I suggest you read more from the links to understand fully about the Revolutions. They really are very remarkable. Good luck with your studies.