The document discusses the political revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries in North America, France, Haiti, and Latin America. It identifies several similarities in the causes of these Atlantic revolutions, including that they were influenced by the Enlightenment and ideas of natural rights and social contract. They also involved conflicts between social classes and economic problems like inflation and taxation that led the lower classes to rebel. Finally, the revolutions inspired and caused other revolutions, and European wars either directly or indirectly contributed to the revolutions.

1. Political Revolutions in the 18th
and 19th centuries – CAUSES
Compared
Powdered Heads and
Powder Kegs

2. Question of the Day
Throughout history, what are
the reasons why people have
revolted violently against their
own government?
Why didn’t German people
revolt against Adolph Hitler in
the 1930s-1940s?

3. • American Revolution – N American
Colonists revolt against British control
• French Revolution – people living in France
revolt against the French government
• Haitian Revolution Slaves (originally from
Africa) revolt against their French owners and
European control
• Latin American Revolutions series of
revolts by Mesoamerican and S American
colonists against Portuguese and Spanish rule
(and French rule)
18th&19th century Atlantic Revolutions

4. SIMILARITIES in the CAUSES
of 18th and 19th century
Atlantic REVOLUTIONS

5. 1. The Enlightenment influenced revolutionaries
and their governments.
emphasis on reason, natural rights, the
individual, and social contract

7.  2. Conflict
between social
and racial
classes.
 *except in the
American
Revolution

8. #5 or #14

9. French
Social
Classes

10. 3. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
 Economic problems like
inflation, poor harvests, &
increased taxation of the
lower classes led to rebellion.
**Except Haiti

11. Revolutions inspired and/or caused other
revolutions.

13. 5. European wars either directly
or indirectly led to revolutions
 Conflicts
between
Britain, France,
and Spain.
 Napoleon’s
conquest of
Europe