In the words of Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death!" (Speech before the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775) can be seen a powerful drive for reform. What causes this urge to revolt? What are the after-effects of just such a revolt? Fortunately (or "unfortunately" as some would argue), we have several examples throughout history to refer to. Many are familiar with our own American Revolution, but several other countries have had them as well. These include the Philippine Revolution, the Hungarian Revolution, and the Russian Revolution of 1917, to mention a few. A revolution, according to Webster's Dictionary, is ".an abrupt overthrow of a government.". This shall be the definition that we shall use for our purposes. Following is a look at the causes and effects of revolution, particularly our very own.
Revolutions, as they pertain to the overthrow of a government, are generally caused by an urge to achieve freedom and/or independence. Again Patrick Henry can be quoted as saying ".For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery." (Speech before the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775). This quote very plainly illustrates the feeling of many colonists that the British were enslaving them. The general feeling was that the British monarch, King George III, was denying the colonists their basic freedoms. Oppressive taxes without any representation in Parliament, soldiers being quartered in private homes, restrictions on northward and westward expansion, the elimination of activity in Boston Harbor. These are what caused the American Revolution, and these are quite often the causes of other revolutions.
Effects of revolutions can be felt all over the world. On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrenders to the Americans at Yorktown, concluding the war on land. And on September 3, 1783, the newly formed United States of America and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris.
