Test Questions on the American and French Revolutions

Graded Assignment
Unit Test, Part 2
Complete this teacher-scored portion of the Unit Test, and submit it to your teacher by the due date for full credit.
(20 points)
Score

1. Napoleon Bonaparte claimed to have put into practice the ideals of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment. Do you think he did? Did his actions and the legacy of his reign represent those ideals? Explain in a short essay whether or not Bonaparte’s reign and legacy embodied the ideals of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment. Provide facts to support your claim.
Answer:
Despite the desire of the French people for representative government, Napoleon sincerely believed that in fact the French had an instinctive need for some form of monarchy. He will provide a French monarchy more efficient, more ruthless and more powerful than any other in the "Ancien Regime." He will not only restrict the freedoms of the French, but undermined the Equality that was so dearly brought in the early years of the Revolution.

As emperor, he has recreated a French aristocracy, rewarding his generals with noble titles and estates. In all, there were a thousand barons, four hundred counts and thirty-two dukes in the Napoleonic nobility. He also turned his back on the religious attitudes of the Revolution by restoring Catholicism in France, and signing an agreement with the Pope in the Concordat of 1801.

Napoleon had the art to preserve the appearance of continuity with the revolutionaries of 1789. Although the Constitution meant little in practice, he maintained the idea of constitutional government, while he was in fact a dictator. However, Napoleon insisted that he was the representative of the French people with their approval, expressed in popular votes.

Your Score
___ of 40

(20 points)
Score

2. There were similarities and differences between the American and French revolutions. Compare and contrast these two revolutions in a short essay. Describe both how they were alike and how they were different.
Answer:The French and American revolution had similarities and differences. The French Revolution and American Revolution were the instances of civilians rebelling against their government. The French rebelled against their government in a violent manner, as did the Americans. Both the American and French Revolutions were focused around liberty and equality. Both countries were trying to gain freedom. America was trying to gain freedom from the rules and taxes put upon them by Great Britain. Whereas the French wanted to abolish the French monarchy and create a better government in which the people could have more of a say in society. Although the revolutions of both started for very similar reasons, and both countries fought for the same thing, the outcomes of the two were very different.Another important similarity between the two revolutions in France and America was their emphasis on Enlightenment thought. The Enligtenment, which started in France and is associated with writers such as Rousseau and Voltaire, caused those under the thumb of monarchies to begin to recognize the inequality inherent in such systems. People of all classes, especially the middle and lower classes, began to use these ideas to formulate an ideology of resistance and insist on the implementation of new measures that would guarantee the natural rights of all citizens. These ideas shaped the American Revolution and the success of it went on to also inspire the French as well. In France, “the war was an ideological war, but anyone who tried to see it as a straight clash between Revolution and counter-revolution would soon become confused. Partisans of the Revolution differed violently with each other, as did their opponents.

The American Revolution and French Revolution have differences as well. One of them is the fact that the American's had warships and the French rebels did not. This is significant because the French rebels did not have a navy as the Americans had a navy. In contrast to the similarities between the French Revolution and American Revolutions, the Americans were a colony that rebelled against their own government. This is significant because the American colonists probably had more time to prepare for an invasion and as an addition to, the country of Britain was far away from America. There was also a difference in class participation in the Revolutions in America in France. In America, there were still a strong number of loyalists because they benefited from the great amount of favor they received from the British government. In France, however, even the nobles and aristocrats were angry at the monarchy because they were given less and less power. Although they still had money and a fair amount of control over local politics, they were almost figureheads instead of people with actual power. They saw that the king was limiting their role in government and they were part of the resistance effort as well. This is not to say that all of the nobility took part in reaction .
These revolutions had more in common than it might appear despite the slight difference in time period and national histories. They were both reactions against an oppressive monarchy that taxed heavily and attempted to control its subject and they both reacted in part because of Enlightenment ideals. While there were different circumstances that effected the governments being rebelled against and there were different demographics of supporters, these revolutions had similar aims and achieved the similar result of a new republic and constitution as the final outcome