Chapter 28

What ideas inspired the Atlantic revolutions?

Enlightenment ideas—natural rights, liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty.

What does “popular sovereignty” mean?

The people hold the power to choose their government.

Who argued for natural rights (life, liberty, property)?

John Locke

What was the main cause of the American Revolution?

Colonists opposed taxation without representation and wanted self-rule.

What document declared America’s independence?

The Declaration of Independence (1776).

What were the 3 Estates in France?

1st: Clergy, 2nd: Nobility, 3rd: Everyone else (peasants, workers, bourgeoisie).

What triggered the French Revolution?

Social inequality, financial crisis, food shortages, and Enlightenment ideas.

What was the Reign of Terror?

Radical phase of the French Revolution led by Robespierre, executing thousands.

Who took power after the French Revolution?

Napoleon Bonaparte.

What was the Haitian Revolution?

The only fully successful slave revolt in history; it created the first Black republic.

Who led the Haitian Revolution?

Toussaint Louverture.

What inspired Latin American revolutions?

Enlightenment ideas, other revolutions, and resentment of colonial social inequality.

Who is known as “The Liberator” in Latin America?

Simón Bolívar.

What is nationalism?

The belief that people with shared culture and history should have their own nation

What two European countries unified in the 1800s because of nationalism?

Italy and Germany.

Who led the unification of Germany?

Otto von Bismarck.

What did the Napoleonic Code do?

Modernized French law—equality before the law, property rights, secular education.

What class dominated the new governments in Latin America after independence?

Creoles (American-born Europeans).

What long-term impact did the Atlantic Revolutions have?

They spread ideas of democracy, citizenship, nationalism, and human rights.

What major system ended in Haiti after its revolution?

slavery

What is the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”?

A French revolutionary document stating that all men are equal and have natural rights.

Why did monarchy collapse more easily in France compared to Britain?

France lacked strong representative traditions and had deeper social tensions.

What happened to the Catholic Church during the French Revolution?

It lost power and property as the state limited its influence.

What did the revolutions show about the power of Enlightenment ideas?

They could overturn monarchies and inspire new political systems.

What was the long-term significance of the Haitian Revolution globally?

It frightened slaveholders, inspired enslaved people, and weakened slavery worldwide.