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

[Jaded_Railman]

The most important event of the last 250 years was the invention of pizza.

Amen to that!

 

[rcduggan]

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.

I think there were many more factors in the French Revolution than merely the American one. So who's to say the French would not have revolted in any case? Many of the causes had begun to develop before the revolution, IIRC.

 

[Zizon]

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

I would say the invention of the cotten gin was pretty important...

 

[carlton_bach]

I would say the invention of the cotten gin was pretty important...

As always, it would not have happened without the demand for raw textile stuff that was driven by industrialised spinning and weaving, which would not have happened... ad infinitum.

The same way you could argue that the French Revolution wasn't really a single event. I mean, where does it start? When is it over? Some people say it's only 1789, some put its end with the execution of Louis XVI, some with that of Robespierre, some with the coronation of Napoleon. I think we would first need to define what we consider an 'event' and what a development.

Personally, I doubt that the French Revolution will qualify once we understand the past 250 years better. First of all, a lot of things must have happened more recently the impacts of which we can not yet properly gauge. Secondly, big things tend to happen in social, economic and technological history. Politics takes place at the surface most of the time.

 

[mtg999]

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.

While not an expert on the subject, I can fairly confidently say that the French revolution was not a socialist revolution. Indeed it was mainly a revolution by the entrepreneurial business-owning middle class against the landed aristorcracy and clergy. It was basically classical free-market liberalism against aristocratic conservatism. Back in the late 18th century and early 19th century, classical liberalism was considered left-wing and aristocratic conservatism was considered right-wing.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

most important invent of last 250 years is the industrial revolution....

 

[carlton_bach]

most important invent of last 250 years is the industrial revolution....

The last 250 years *are* the industrial revolution. And I'm not at all convinced it's over yet. Not that I disagree with you, but ultimately, that is like saying that the most important event in the history of the Roman Empire was Roman rule over the Mediterranean.

 

[benjamin]

It's difficult to say that a given historical event is "the most important event of the past 250 years" because all historical events are so closely dependent upon what has occured in the past. The French Revolution, as we know it, would not have occured without the American Revolution, which would not have occured without the Enlightenment and so on and so on.

I think that inventions are better things to look at if you want a straight foward cut off point.

That's why I vote for the MICROCHIP! Computers have and will continue to have an amazing impact upon our life. Nothing will so change the way we live as the continued influx of ubiquitous computing.

Benjamin