One hundred years after the revolution in England, the French staged their revolution, adding to the cumulative effect of radical social movements in the western world. As was the case with the revolution in England, the French Revolution was intended, at least in part, to contest the ideology and the practice of hierarchical power. The French Revolution also had the establishment of a new economic system as its goal as well; one begins to discern a pattern that the organization and structure of political power goes hand-in-hand with its economic practices (Goldstone, 1994). The outcome of the French Revolution represented a “radical break with the past” (Goldstone, 1994, p. 265). Systems of absolute rule and nepotistic privilege were dismantled and “social and economic mobility [began to be determined by] money, education, and talent, rather than the privileges of birth” (Goldstone, 1994, p. 265). Perhaps more importantly, though, it took the structural and economic achievements of the British Revolution which it mirrored one step further. One of the most significant implications of the French Revolution was that it “created the modern concepts of citizen and nation that became central points of identity in modern societies around the globe, and it established basic principle[s] of human rights and equality” (Golding, 1994, p. 265). These conditions are now considered characteristics of the countries that comprise the western world.
These political revolutions in England and France led to a revolution of a different sort as well, and that was the period of history known as the Industrial Revolution (Goldstone, 1994). The shifts in the political and economic systems that occurred as a result of the British and French Revolutions created more egalitarian social structures, and in doing so, changed the socioeconomic classes and the professions that characterized them. Communities in England and France, as well as the rest of the western world, began to move away from traditional patterns of work and production (Goldstone, 1994). In this case, it is clear that there were obvious, observable and almost instant differences within the these revolutionary societies as soon as revolutions were underway for long enough and with enough sustained purpose to achieve the aims.
The importance of agriculture as a primary work activity began to decline, and the centers of production moved from the pastoral countryside to the developing metropolises where industry was increasing in social and economic importance (Goldstone, 1994). The implications of the Industrial Revolution would be at least as significant as the British and French Revolutions themselves, for they would mark the structure of society just as indelibly as the political revolutions that preceded them (Goldstone, 1994). As the centers of production shifted from rural areas to urban ones, community and family patterns began to undergo redefinition (Goldstone, 1994). The roles of women and children changed, as both became more involved in the professional work of the nations. The effects of the Industrial Revolution are still being felt and explored today.
Finally, the Russian Revolution, one of the most recent revolutions in history, has had significant implications for the western world and the conceptualization of the modern nation (Goldstone, 1994). The leaders of the Russian Revolution adopted many of the strategies and ideological positions against social and political structures that had been characteristic of their revolutionary predecessors in other countries (Goldstone, 1994). However, the expression of their revolutionary commitment was quite different from the ways in which revolution was carried out in England and in France (Goldstone, 1994). Part of the reason why the pattern of revolution was different in Russia was because its citizens were affected directly by the Industrial Revolution, and were inspired to call for changes in conditions as a result of their experiences in factories and industry (Goldstone, 1994). As Goldstone (1994) explains, the conditions for Russian workers were difficult: “Hours were long, discipline brutal, pay low, and for many of them these brutal conditions were the work of the foreign capitalists who owned most of the large industrial establishment” (p. 340).
In response to these conditions that those before the Russian Revolution lived under, workers began to organize “in an effort to protect themselves from exploitation and in an effort to seek a better life” (Goldstone, 1994, p. 340). The Industrial Revolution also had the effect of establishing a new class system; while different from the western class systems of old, they were still limiting. As Goldstone (1994) notes, middle-class Russian intellectuals were also discontent with the direction of society, and the stage was set for revolt. The consequences of the Russian Revolution for the rest of the western nations were that they began to change the dialogue about industry and economics, and indeed, the very notion of democratic systems. As a result, a new political paradigm emerged that would provide an alternative to the paradigms established by England and France.
In sum, while a revolution is an internal condition of resistance against established political, economic, and social systems, it will always have an impact beyond the borders within which it occurs. Revolutions, because of their spirit of well-intentioned change, have different impacts than war, and they often inspire other nations to test their own changes and experiment with new structures and practices. A review of the revolutions that have occurred in the world since the 17th century demonstrates that the major revolutionary movements have shaped current political, economic, and labor patterns indelibly.
Other essays and articles in the History Archives related to this topic include : A Comparison of the French Revolution and American Revolution • France’s Pre-revolutionary Financial Crisis: The Lead-up to the French Revolution • A Comparison and Analysis of the French Versus Russian Revolutions • War and the Downfall of the Monarchies in France and Russia • Marx and Locke: Comparison of Views on Government, Property and Labor • The Impacts of the Industrial Revolution on the New England Family
References
Goldstone, J., Ed. (1994). Revolutions: Theoretical, comparative, and historical studies. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Trostky, L.. (1957). The history of the Russian Revolution. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Walt, S.M. (1996). Revolution and war. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
