American Revolution

[Umoja]

I think it's important to analyze the American revolution, and why it was successful at establishing a stable government where other revolutions were only met with failure and instability. Why did America avoid alot of post-revolutionary struggles, where other violent revolutions only suffered from more violence?

Discuss.

[Delta]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25 2006, 04:06 PM
Why did America avoid alot of post-revolutionary struggles, where other violent revolutions only suffered from more violence?
Tell that to the African-Americans, the Native Americans, the Mexicans, the Cubans, the Vietnamese........

[Umoja]

Better phrased,

Why didn't the government promptly collapse or start killing it's people?

In fairness, African Slaves weren't citizens at the time, and even so the issue almost tore the country apart in it's early days, but the country still managed to stay stable for almost 80 years. I'm not justifying America socially, I'm asking why did America have stability where other nations didn't?

[Delta]

Well probably because those who were in power stayed in power. The wealthy merchants who basically controlled the colonies were now in control of the country instead of Britain.

The historian Carl Degler writes


No new social class came to power through the door of the American revolution. The men who engineered the revolt were largely members of the colonial ruling class

[Umoja]

But you're comparing this in a global framework of today, even revolutions that took place in other colonies didn't work. I think the American Revolution is worth noting because it succeeded where other revolutions failed, it created stability. Revolutionaries shouldn't be so quick to dismiss America is what I'm beginning to think, and I think it's worth questioning why.

[D_Bokk]

The reason it worked so well was because it didn't really change very much from the former system of being a mere colony. There were very few radical changes post-revolution and quite honestly - America never had a revolution, only a struggle for independence.

[rouchambeau]

Why didn't the government promptly collapse or start killing it's people?
Because they had no need to do so. Well, it did kill many colonists, but it wasn't anything like the French Revolution. I think it would help to compare the French Revolution to the American because they were pretty much the same thing. The French revolutionary government collapsed and killed many more of it's own people because they were being invaded more than the Americans were and had more internal conflict.

In the American Revolution the Americans only had to fight the British (nevermind Daniel Shays or the Whiskey Rebellion). The French had to fend off the Prussians, English, and maybe the Spanish and Austrians (I'm not sure).

[lithium]

Interesting. I suppose I'd agree with D_Bokk. Although I don't know much about the American Revolution, from what I can see it was lead by landowners and such. In a way, it was a movement of militant capitalists who wanted independence from "foreign" capitalists. Why did they want independence? Maybe they saw that capitalism was working for Britain, and wanted a capitalist society for themselves, thus invoking militant resistance.

Either way, I do agree with to an extent that it's at least educational - if not important - to learn about revolutions that were not part of the left-wing movement. It could give us further ideas on how to start a revolution, maybe it will give us more insight into how capitalists work, but at least it might give us a view into revolutionary military strategies and tactics.

I do believe that it is important to "Know thine enemy." Not just froma political viewpoint, but from a military (including insurrectionary) viewpoint.

[Janus]

There were very few radical changes post-revolution and quite honestly - America never had a revolution, only a struggle for independence.
I agree. In fact, they were originally only fighting for a return to saultary neglect. As others said, the Revolution was more of a coup than a true revolution.


Why didn't the government promptly collapse or start killing it's people?
There were several revolts immediately following the revolution made up of former war vets, farmers,etc.

[Iseult]

I think the U.S didn't collapse, in part, because every branch of of it's government is kept in check by another branch.