American and Russian Revolution Essay

Submitted By sabikaj
Words: 2432
Pages: 10

Cries from the helpless, the blood of the innocent and the fear of tomorrow; in the American and Russian revolution, this was the recipe for freedom. For far too long, the people of America and Russia had been supressed and exploited by their super powers and in turn, a revolution was found necessary to build a new future, but as Thomas Jefferson says “Occasionally the tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants.” The American revolution of 1772 and the Russian revolution of 1917 were generally designed to liberate people to rise against injustice although the two nations had different reasons leading into it and different achievements coming out (Roberts 56 and 80). The reason for the American revolution was to stop the exploitation of their soldiers and self-earned money whereas the reason for the Russian revolution was to pull people out of their impoverished and futile lives (Roberts 57 and 82). To fight this battle, the Americans rose up against King George III, who was depicted as a tyrant, although he was not nearly thought to be as cold as the Tsar, Nicholas II whom the Russians rebelled against (Roberts 56 and 81). The Boston Tea Party was the main event which led to a revolution for Americans whereas the formation of rebellion parties and disloyalty of soldiers to the Tsar provoked the Russian revolution (Roberts 57 and 82). What Americans wanted as an outcome was independence from Britain while Russia wanted a worker-run country (Roberts 56 and 80). The two revolutions changed the face of the earth but had different costs and benefits associated.

Unlike the previous wars between European powers in the 1700s, the French and Indian war began in Ohio Valley within North America. Both France and Britain held claims to land and trading rights in this area but British colonists were eager to move westward onto what the French believed was their land. In order to prevent further British intrusion, the French began to construct a series of forts along the Ohio River to act as a barrier. Eventually, the two sides came into conflict when the young lieutenant colonel George Washington attacked French troops although eventually surrendered after the French returned in large numbers (Warshaw et al. 56). This opportunity for the American colonists to serve with British regulars during the war gave many Americans a sense of pride and confidence. At the same time, it also made many realize how different they were from the British with whom they fought. Many British regulars disliked the colonists they were fighting to protect and many British commanders refused to acknowledge the authority of high-ranking American militia officers. Furthermore, many colonists didn’t particularly feel like fighting Britain’s wars. Many Americans refused to support the war altogether until the British paid them for their expenses. Americans didn’t want to pay or fight a war that wasn’t theirs which lead to restlessness in the country (Smith 45). On the other hand, Russians no longer wanted to be deprived of their basic rights and freedom which lead to an uproar in the country. Ever since the War of 1812, many Russians were inspired by the growing democratic movements in Europe. Some even began to call for a formal Russian constitution with guarantees of basic rights. In 1861, Tsar Alexander II formally abolished serfdom which freed Russia’s poor from agreements to landowners. This was a positive development in some ways but it also created a number of new problems including a severe economic crisis and significant resentment from landowners leaving people on the streets. This event also inspired more open discussion of other political groups which raised public awareness of the fact that Russia lacked a constitution. Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, a host of organizations formed to promote the introduction of a constitution, a parliamentary government, and socialistic values to Russia. Although most of these groups