LECTURE ANALYSIS: LECTURE 2B THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
The unusual nature of the American Revolution was heavily emphasised in Professor Burnard’s lecture on the subject.
The Revolution was an anomaly in regard to the modern day conception of revolutions (particularly after the events of the French Revolution). Typically, revolutions require a relatively standard set of preconditions to occur: social inequality; economic stress on the society; governmental incompetence; the loss of a war; population decline. The American Revolution had none of these, bar the governmental incompetence of Britain to coordinate its imperial aims with the New World. By 1776, the American economy was booming, the Americans had aided Britain massively in their victory …show more content…
Unlike later revolutions, the American Revolution sought a return to a previous way of life and mode of governance, instead of trying to progress forwards. It was a restoration, rather than the revolution. Unlike in many other revolutions, the leaders of the Revolution, rather than being members of the lower or middle classes were privileged, wealthy (white) men, such as George Washington; they had benefitted from the previous state of affairs, and they wouldn’t relent on that. The revolutionaries were disappointed that they were not as British as they thought they were.
Within the context of the general themes of imperialism, colonisation, and power addressed in the course, the American Revolution was blatantly anti-imperialist. At its core, it was a revolt against an imperial authority increasingly trying to impose its will up subjects; Professor Burnard mentioned the common analogy of the Revolution being akin to a child outgrowing its mother. In this same line of thought, the general historiographical view mentioned saw the Revolution as inevitable, that America would have outgrown Britain
The unusual nature of the American Revolution was heavily emphasised in Professor Burnard’s lecture on the subject.
The Revolution was an anomaly in regard to the modern day conception of revolutions (particularly after the events of the French Revolution). Typically, revolutions require a relatively standard set of preconditions to occur: social inequality; economic stress on the society; governmental incompetence; the loss of a war; population decline. The American Revolution had none of these, bar the governmental incompetence of Britain to coordinate its imperial aims with the New World. By 1776, the American economy was booming, the Americans had aided Britain massively in their victory …show more content…
Unlike later revolutions, the American Revolution sought a return to a previous way of life and mode of governance, instead of trying to progress forwards. It was a restoration, rather than the revolution. Unlike in many other revolutions, the leaders of the Revolution, rather than being members of the lower or middle classes were privileged, wealthy (white) men, such as George Washington; they had benefitted from the previous state of affairs, and they wouldn’t relent on that. The revolutionaries were disappointed that they were not as British as they thought they were.
Within the context of the general themes of imperialism, colonisation, and power addressed in the course, the American Revolution was blatantly anti-imperialist. At its core, it was a revolt against an imperial authority increasingly trying to impose its will up subjects; Professor Burnard mentioned the common analogy of the Revolution being akin to a child outgrowing its mother. In this same line of thought, the general historiographical view mentioned saw the Revolution as inevitable, that America would have outgrown Britain