American Revolution Importance

The Importance of the American Revolution Though the US version of revolutionary republicanism has been constantly criticized by the spectators of Europe and Asia ever since its establishment, many purposely ignore the significance of American liberalism and socialism and how the movement for independence pushed the world forward. The basic concepts of civil, economic, and federal freedoms was set up in America, as well as in France and Poland. America’s fight was extremely crucial, because as history paints, the French and Polish revolutions were crushed overtime. France returned to a Monarchy by the 1830’s, and Poland was divided up by Austria, Prussia, and Russia, and then a Commonwealth under the Russian Empire. The Kingdoms of Europe
did apply the concepts of Polish and French freedom decades after the movements died, but the policies were highly edited to fit into the monarchical themes so the conservatives were not upset. As all movements of liberalism and socialism in the 1700’s were major contributors to democratic states and nationalist movements, America’s fight for independence was the most crucial and important of them all.
One of the biggest misconceptions of the American War for Independence was that the British were oppressive and tyrannical leaders that governed the Empire with a central fist of corruption. This was certainly not the case. The British Empire was the Constitutional Monarchy where the citizens of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland experienced the same civil, economic, and federal liberties and protections that the American colonists fought so hard for. The political tension within the British Empire, both in the territories and at home, was whether these freedoms were extended to the overseas states. One can argue that Great Britain should expand the administration, for they are British just like Londoners are, and though they may not be culturally British, they are loyal nonetheless. The objection was of course, the argument that if the British Empire extends the rights to the oversea territories, then that means that those lands must be created into states, or shires. This act would be seen as a centralized attempt to bring the Empire too close to one another. The American movement of independence and its victory showed to the British Empire that self-government, the extension of freedoms, and the effort of administering territories into statehood, holds and Empire together longer, and more efficiently than the harsh discrimination of foreign lands. The lesson was also taught to the future French, German, Italian, Austrian, and Russian empires and though those empires did not do much of a good job of it, it is evident that they tried.
During the time of the 1700’s, as Enlightened ideas grew more popular within the masses, and the foundations of liberalism and socialism were finding its way to plant in even those most thinnest cracks of the European roads, European Kingdoms would refuse to grant such freedoms on the universal conservative principle that, “Oh, you look at the French? They turned into a chaotic anarchy state! They killed their own people! Is that the kind of freedom you want here? Because I do not.” Time and time again, this argument was used by the Russians and Germans against Poland, and soon by Europe against France. America was a shining beacon of democratic and socialist light that would soon nourish all of European Kingdoms for years to come. It was a proud and successful example that federalism, republicanism, liberalism, and socialism in its core, basic, and fundamental stage can work. Constant debate over the advanced policies that these revolutionary ideologies proposed raged European politics, while America painted in one of the most harmonic and perfect ways possible, that a basic liberal, revolutionary, and federal Republic can work just as well, if not more than a Despotic or Feudal Monarchy.
The livelihood and freedoms of the common man and woman significantly went up for the American masses during the rise and establishment of American revolutionary republicanism. Though benevolent dictators and monarchs in Europe increased the freedoms and livelihood, such as Catherine the Great, Frederick the Great, and many Swiss leaders, those sparks of the empowerment of the people were shortly lived and were nowhere near consistent, nor transparent nor even comparable to the level of American growth. Even if oppressive leaders rose to power in the American electorate systems, those leaders would face incredibly huge walls in demolishing the independence and sovereignty of the masses. In Europe on the other than, it only took one word for the masses’ freedoms and legal protections to be appealed. America provided consistency and transparency of the empowerment of the masses and how much it had a great impact on the nation’s economy, military, culture, unity, and the power of the government compared to the rest of the world.
The American War of Independence, as well as the French Revolution and the Polish Revolution, paved way to the innovation and creativity when it comes to how governments are run.
Yes, new ideas such as an elective body of government, independence from a nation’s military to the King or Queen, and other separations of power has been over the centuries, added to the expanding Monarchies of Europe, but nothing hit the innovation of government than the Liberal Revolution of the 1700’s. The American, Polish, and French ideas gave enlightened thoughts to how government should be run, and gave people the curiosity of, “if we run the government like this, what would happen?” With the exception of Switzerland with their various different forms of a “republic”, all of Europe was covered with Monarchies. Thanks to the American Revolution, people began experimenting with new forms of government, such as Confederations, Federal Republic, Constitutional Republic, Presidential Dictatorship, a Parliamentary Monarchy, and various forms of Socialist States. These governments gave new ideas and new policies to the world that would not have been found if the world continued to stay with Despotic Kings and Celestial
Queens.
The ideas of freedom of speech, freedom of and from religion, freedom of property, freedom of the newspaper, the right to a fair and quick jury, freedom from cultural and religious persecutions, right to a minimum wage, right to a safe working environment, right to a good and effective education, right to a home, right to happiness, right to love whoever you want, right to a job, right to avoid slave wages, and a right to form your own business all derive from either the American Revolution specifically, or a later domino started by the American Revolution.
Every person who does not fall under the status of a wealthy white man whose religion and culture match that of his home country’s social norm gained rights in some way, shape, or form through the American endeavor to freedom. Poor men, black people, Hispanic people, Asian people, gay people, women, the handicapped, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, immigrants, and even your average middle class white man gained in empowerment, wealth, freedom, and equality through America’s fight for liberty and independence through their war against Britain. It was significant and crucial to the dignity and self-preservation of humanity, and laid the foundation and guide to future revolutions that contributed their fair share into reforming society and the
government.