Latin American Revolutions Project

Toussaint L' Ouverture -(1791-1804) Toussaint brought independence to Haiti which was once the colony of both Spain and France. Toussaint was born as a slave and worked to end slavery. He wanted to rebuild the country and expand trade with other countries. In 1791 just after shortly being freed as a slave, at the age of 33, he led a slave revolt and by 1798 the slaves were free. In 1802 Napoleon sent an army against Toussaint to try and gain control of Haiti again, but soon after the two made an agreement. Napoleon agreed with Toussaint to recognize Haiti's independence because Napoleon wanted to get rid of Haiti. L' Ouverture tried to rebuild and reform the economy in Haiti. After the agreement Haiti was free and had independence from both France and Spain. The enlightenment and the French Revolution both influenced L' Ouverture in the independence movement. The ideas from those two events helped him realize what actions to take to bring reform to Haiti and also what beliefs to follow in order to make peace throughout the newly formed country, Haiti.

Napoleon

Summary - Napoleon Bonaparte was a powerful force in Europe from 1799 to 1815. He rose from the ranks of the French army to become the emperor of France. By 1812 he had control of most of Europe. Unfortunately, he met his demise when he attempted to invade Russia. His downfall was almost as swift as his rise to power.



Napoleon was a great leader and helped out Europe both positivly and negativly after the french revolution. Napoleon was well liked and respected by the people because he gave them what they wanted and listened to them. He was also great at leading successful battles, but if one was not successful he was good at keeping it secret. One thing that was a negative impact was the attempt to invade Russia when Napoleon entered with over 422,000 troops but left will about 10,000. Another negative effect Napoleon had was that he was often portrayed as overall leader and all of his troops where just his workers. A positive effect he left was the Napoleonic Code which was likelaws for the people.

The French Revolution

Summary - The French Revolution is defined as the political upheaval of world importance that began in France in 1789. Inspired by the success of the American Revolution, French citizens overthrew the noble, ruling class and establish a democratic government. The French monarchy under Louis XVI was viewed as oppressive and corrupt and the social structure was rigid, meaning it did not allow for social mobility which eventually forced the people to demand change.

The French Revolution was an important movement in history because it brought about change for the french people. The 3rd estate was treated very differently and unfairly from the 2nd and 3rd estate. Citizens of the 3rd estate soon realized after the enlightenment that they were being treated unfairly under the power of King Louis the XVI and absoulte monarch. They demanded change amoung them and took steps to get a democratic government. I think the French Revolution was succesful because it knocked KIng Louis XVI out of power and made the rigid social class more equal.

The Enlightenment

Summary - The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement of the 18Th century characterized by belief in the power of human reason and questioning authority. Many enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau published their ideas on government

The enlightenment philosophers influenced changed in society by trying to bring fairness and equal rights to all people. The ideas of the philosophers helped to get rid of absoulte monarchs ruling. Things like natural rights, freedom of speech, and the thought that all people were corrupt by society were all beliefs that the philosophers fought for.