Revolutions: Gains & Losses Essay Example

time, versus ambushes and guerilla warfare, not many lives were lost outside of those battles.The biggest gain of the revolution was obviously the fact that America was now its own country under its own rule. No longer did we have the British breathing down our necks and telling us how to run a country they were not even living in. We gained right for men to vote and own land and have freedom of speech. Not everyone stood to gain in this however. Women still were considered lowly and stayed in the home having no rights.

Slaves were considered property and sold to the highest bidder to be treated as workhorses.Americans as a whole gained a very important standing in the world. Because they kicked their mother country out, they showed great military superiority, and gained respect from many other countries. This revolution helped America gain world respect, and a sense of pride implanted in our forefathers that gave them the drive to make this country the great power it is today. The French Revolution had many clearer cut gains and losses.

The biggest gain was the abolition of serfdom and the removal of privileged people in high positions.Thanks to this many of the first class of France were taken from power so they could no longer tax poor people so heavily and harshly punish them. A loss could be seen at the fact that those dukes’ worlds were turned upside down as they lost their jobs, homes, and for many, their lives. A reign of terror spread throughout the countryside as peasants of the third class started holding court and bringing charges against members

of the third class.

Due to being wronged by the first class; the third class almost always found the party guilty and charged to be hung or tortured in some other way. Also a gain was voting. Now that the parties were more split to be represented evenly they all had a say in what laws would pass. Ironically however, the third party still lost out. The majority of the third party could not read or write, so they depended on members of the second party, whom they had hired to represent them in legislative meetings, to be their voice.

The elected second party members were only looking out for themselves though. They would promise to go and represent the peasants, but once inside the closed doors of the meeting they often voted just to favor themselves. The country as a whole was in better shape in terms of the newly populated middle class because they gained equality in social standing and better living overall, but ultimately this revolution seems to have left France temporarily a vulnerable country freshly filled with disorder, broken people/spirits, and just as many complaints by every class.The German Revolution of 1848 is considered to be written off as a failure on most aspects.

The German states were nothing but a loose group of 39 independent states. Austria and Prussia were the most powerful of them and their leaders, whom had absolute authority, opposed the liberal and nationalistic ideals. Due to influence from the French Revolution; the majority of princes granted many new legislative checks, but kept most of the reign over their states.A successful revolt was a small win in 1848 when

liberals overtook Louis Philippe, but losses were still to come. A great depression hit after all the fighting and many skilled craftsmen were forced to take factory jobs they despised and the entire country of Germany felt a depression economically and mentally.

In February a gain showed that liberals could take on their government. However, in a June revolution showed that those liberals could be brought down by professional military force; thus bringing a loss to all the intimidation they had gained (Perry 544-5).Overall the Revolution was more loss than gain, but it did put ideas of freedom and unity into the German mind and got ball rolling on future progress. These Revolutions, as well as any change classified as a revolution, has brought new ideas, freedoms, and triumphs in general to the world table.

Revolutions happened because of a need for change to unjust laws or ruthless royals. Many managed to remove the harsh circumstances they were living in and create a better quality and standard of living. Today much of the world is vastly improved thanks to revolutions.We are still undergoing reconstruction of governments in many places where democracy has not yet been established and people are revolting to invoke a system of government that will serve its people with justice and equality for all people. America now has a government that has checks and balances, the French have a republic, and Germany is one united country with a federal republic.

Works Cited Perry, Marvin. Western Civilizations: Ideas, Politics, and Society. 8th. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Dictionary.

con "American Revolution. " Wikipedia. 2008. 29 Sep 2008 <http://en.

wikipedia. org/wiki/American_Revolution>.