Was The French Revolution The Most Important Historical Event Of The Past 250 Years?

My history teacher claims it is, but he also says that the American Revolution was very important. I wanted to hear what you guys had to say.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
My history teacher claims it is, but he also says that the American Revolution was very important. I wanted to hear what you guys had to say.

I agree, while the American Revolution was important it had little direct* effect before WWI (on the world), while the French Revolution shaped the 19th century and most modern idealogies. Nationalism, Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism would radicale different without it, also the map of Europe and the rest of the world (as a extention of different major powers in Europe) would be radicale different.

*Through lot of indirect influence.
 

Susano

Banned
The cutoff line between Early Modern Age and, uh, Modern Modern Age (English terminology sucks) is usually set at 1789. That gives a good clue...
 
If I were in a science-y mood I'd argue for something involving the telegraph, radio, or some method of communication or transport, but for now I'd probably go along with what Susano said.
 
The American revolution was an important factor in the 'success' of the French revolution. Taker away the former, and the latter is muted at best.
 

boredatwork

Banned
In a word,

No.

The ideological development prior to the revolution - in particular Romanticism (and the Enlightment before that) was more important than the revolution itself.

There is no causal link between the French Revolution and, say, communism or nazism. There is such a link from the writings of Voltaire and Rosseau.

From the view of man in a few centuries, the discovery of electricity, the industrial production line, the atomic bomb, the development of radio, the TV, the computer, the discovery of DNA - all of these could easily end up being far more consequential.

In terms of the world today vs the world then, I would argue that WW2, and the decolonialization it forced on the world, was more important. As was WW1 for breaking the European monarchial-imperial order that had lasted with minor interruptions since late middle ages.

An 'anti-monarchy' revolution which ends up with a king in all but name (and even that soon enough) in less than a decade isn't that impressive (IMNSHO anyway).
 
The killing of Rasputin didn't lead to the rise of the Soviet Union but it is a good place to start telling the history of the Soviet Union. I think the French revolution, while much more important then the Rasputin killing, is something that happened in an important time and thus made it a starting point when telling *modern* history.
 
The American revolution was an important factor in the 'success' of the French revolution. Taker away the former, and the latter is muted at best.

Exactly. Not only did the American Revolution set a precedent, but without the American Revolution, France's financial situation would have been very different...perhaps we would never have even seen a French Revolution...or perhaps it would've been much delayed. Therefore, I feel it's reasonable to conclude that the American Revolution is of more historical significance.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Exactly. Not only did the American Revolution set a precedent, but without the American Revolution, France's financial situation would have been very different...perhaps we would never have even seen a French Revolution...or perhaps it would've been much delayed. Therefore, I feel it's reasonable to conclude that the American Revolution is of more historical significance.

I disagree, if we use that standard, the birth of Louis XVI was of even more historical significance because without him neither of the revolutions would have succed, or we could say that Hitler Father was more important than Hitler, because without him Hitler wouldn't have been born.
 

Susano

Banned
Yeah. Everything in history goes back to something that came before. If we take this argument to its logical extreme then we cant mark epochs in history at all, since the only important thing is what the first hominids did!

Of course the French Revolution got its ideas from enlightment, and of course the American Revolution was a catalysator, so to speak. But the real explosion, the point where so many things changed at once, was the French Revolution itself.

Though to be fair, some social historians do consider the mid-18th century as start of Modern Modern History - Englightment, but even more beginning of the bourgeoise society and modern economy forms... but of course "the mid-18th century" is no event.
 
The industrial revolution completely changed what it means to live life as a human being, what it means to be educated, to work, to live on a piece of land, to tell time. And in terms of ecology, it has resulted in the fastest and most profound changes to the Earth itself since the days of asteroid impacts. You could make the argument that French Revolution was the most significant political/military event of the last 250 years, and since traditional History is almost 100% political and military, one can certainly see where your teacher is coming from. But in terms of total change to human society, industrialization wins.

Now, if you're looking for a single event... did industrialization have anything that can be considered a singular "trigger" - something that heralded the fact that yes, things are different now? I feel like accounts of the revolution often start with the spinning jenny. But that feels too... mundane.
 
The industrial revolution was one of those things that happens when nobody is paying attention. There was no singular event that highlighted it and it had its roots back in the early 18th century
 

boredatwork

Banned
I still vote for WW1/WW2 - marked the end of several centuries of European global predominance.

Before, it was reasonable to believe that European nations would continue to control 2/3's or more of humanity for the indefinite future.

After, the idea was laughable.
 

Riain

Banned
A person who lived their life between about 1830-40 and 1900-10 would see more changes in his lifetime than were seen in the preceeding millenia. So I'd go for the diffuse but massive industrial revolution.
 
Now, if you're looking for a single event... did industrialization have anything that can be considered a singular "trigger" - something that heralded the fact that yes, things are different now? I feel like accounts of the revolution often start with the spinning jenny. But that feels too... mundane.

The steam engine gets mentioned.
 
The steam engine gets mentioned.

The Watts engine was important, but that was more part of the power revolution that preceded industrialization, rather than a part of it. Its what made industrialization what it was, of course, and its what allowed it to happen, but the agricultural revolution that also preceded the industrial one was important for the same reasons. Multiple countries in the past have 'aligned' economically in a way that would allow industrialization (the Dutch in the 17th century, the Chinese in the 12th, etc), but it happened in Britain because they had the coal, the technology, and the economy to do it right.
 
The American Revolution was the most important event in the last 250 years. Without it the French Revolution wouldn't have happened. The french revolution was a socialist revolution.
 
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