American Revolution

What are the key features of American Revolution? How did this influence the French Revolution?

The key features of American Revolution  mainly was the pure political definition of democracy which included :

• Regular elections, secret ballot, competition between factions, potential leaders or parties, and majority rule are the institutional bases for establishing accountability of those who govern.
• Majoritarian but rights of individuals and minorities protected by constitutional safeguards.
• Separation of powers between executive, legislature & judiciary.
• Centrality of constitutionalism to guarantee equality before the law and civil rights.
• Civil liberties guaranteeing freedom of speech, expression, and association (etc.)
• Freedom of individuals to speak in society but not in parliamentary assembly, exclusive preserve of representatives
• The people are distanced from direct participation in government.
• Indirect participation through interest groups parties, elections, and the free press.
• Development from restrictive to extensive citizen body
• Passive citizenship
• Clear separation of the state from civil society

The circumstances ofThe American Revolution influenced the French Revolution , at least in the mind-set of the French around that time, allowed the citizens to throw out an oppressive monarch and his government and establish a republican form of government. Radicals in France believed that they could also throw off an opressive monarchy and establish a government for the people rather than staying with a monarchy that failed to serve anyone except the aristocracy.

The American Revolution threw off the monarchy and establised a representative government. Many of the French Radicals felt that the revolutionaries in Amercian should have carried the fight to England and overthrown the monarchy. The Radicals under Robespierre and others decided to throw off their oppressive monarchy and establish a new Republic that would treat all citizens as equals. But, as with many despots, the Radicals refused tolisten to anyone who disagreed with them. 

As such, any dissent was viewed as treason and the terrors began and thousands were executed. When the monarchy was overthrown and the Radicals formed a new government, it also became an oppressive entity, as oppostition and dissent frequently ended with someone getting their heads chopped off. 

The French had dreamed that they could create a more Republican Republic than the government in America, but they merely succeeded in creating a new oppressive government that underwent many turmoils, as the new leaders of the government started acting like the prior monarchy which led to new coups, more exectutions and general chaos in France & brought the French Revolution out.