Revolutions that Changed the World

By: Dalton Sherwood & HIST 1121-001

A revolution is a change in political power when the population up-rises and takes over
the current authorities. Revolutions in Europe have differed in many ways since 1660 with many
different consequences. Some revolutions were peaceful while the rest of them involved a little
to a lot of bloodshed. One of the most notable Revolutions throughout the European timeline was
the English Revolution (English Civil War).1 This Revolution took place in England from 16421660 although nothing really changed until 1660. It was one that caused a lot of bloodshed. The
English Revolution happened primarily for one reason the Parliament (Englands Government)
wanted to restrict the power of King Charles I. Parliament wanted the people to have their basic
rights and to establish a non-absolute monarchy. The results that came out of this revolution were
breath-taking for many Europeans at the time. This resulted in the first King being executed in
front of a crowd. Oliver Cromwell took over England and almost followed in the same way as
King Charles I except he took away power from Parliament completely.2 He rejected any
petitions that could possibly lessen his power. He died in 1658 and his corpse was removed from
its grave and beheaded in public. The English Revolution only led to less power and rights to the
people until Cromwell died.
Another revolution that took place in England, 1688 was the Glorious Revolution. This
revolution was very different than that of the English Revolution in 1660. The Glorious
1 The English Revolution. Online Library of Liberty. Accessed December 14, 2015.
http://oll.libertyfund.org/groups/68.

2 David Plant. Biography of Oliver Cromwell. BCW project. Accessed December 14,
2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/glorious_revolution_01.shtm
l

Revolution took place for one main reason. The reason was that Parliament wanted to have more
power over the throne.3 This revolution was one of the most peaceful and bloodless revolutions
ever to occur. This was all made possible by a Dutch invasion into England that scared away
the evil King James II. Many people hated King James II because of his hatred for Catholics.
This was known as Popery. When James II fled, all power was given to Parliament in addition to
giving the throne to William the Orange. When Parliament took control, the government was
now labeled as a Parliamentary Democracy. This revolution resulted in causing many other
revolutions to start to strive for a Democracy. The difference between the Glorious Revolution
and the English Revolution was that it seemed like a lot more positive results and situations came
out of a peaceful revolution rather than a bloody one.
Similar in different ways to the previous revolutions, the Revolutions of 1848 were
revolutions that involved peace and bloodshed. They were mostly failed attempts to transform
their governments into Liberal or Republican governments. The Revolutions of 1848 began in
Sicily then swept across Europe to France, Italy, Germany, and the Austrian Empire.4 Some of
the peaceful revolutions that took place were in Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark. As for
some countries, Austria, Germany, and France, it wasnt always so peaceful. The results of the
Revolutions of 1848 were somewhat a failure. Most countries went back to Absolute
Monarchies. All countries strengthened their police forces to prevent or stop another revolution
from happening. The Revolutions of 1848 were similar to the Glorious Revolution in the way
that they were both somewhat peaceful. Another similarity between the two was that in some
3 Dr. Edward Vallance. The Glorious Revolution. British History. Accessed December 14,
2015. http://bcw-project.org/biography/oliver-cromwell.

4 The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Revolutions of 1848. Accessed December 14,

2015. www.britannica.com/event/revolutinos-of-1848

ways, the people did get something in return, whether it was bad or good. The English
Revolution was similar to the Revolutions of 1848 due to the bloodshed and the repression that
fled the streets of each country after the Revolution ended. They both failed in the way that they
didnt get everything they asked or worked for.
In conclusion, revolutions throughout history can be characterized as peaceful or bloody,
big or small, and meaningful or meaningless. Revolutions like the English Revolution, Glorious
Revolution, and Revolutions of 1848 show the different ways that revolutions can fail or succeed
with or without bloodshed. Although some of the revolutions were not succeeded, they still show
the goals of what the people were trying to achieve. When there are failed attempts to achieve
something in life, you get back up and try it again. Revolutions are meant to change something
that has been going on for a long time but what good does it do if it doesnt succeed? These
revolutions prove to us how failed attempts can in fact be achievable in the future. That is why
most of Europe is free of absolute monarchs. Revolutions are what built the land that we live on
now.

Bibliography
The English Revolution. Online Library of Liberty. Accessed December 14, 2015.
http://oll.libertyfund.org/groups/68.
Dr. Edward Vallance. The Glorious Revolution. British History. Accessed December 14, 2015.
http://bcw-project.org/biography/oliver-cromwell.
David Plant. Biography of Oliver Cromwell. BCW project. Accessed December 14, 2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/glorious_revolution_01.shtml

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Revolutions of 1848. Accessed December 14, 2015.
www.britannica.com/event/revolutinos-of-1848