Irish Revolution - Essay Example

Irish Revolution: Relationship between Revolutionary Conflict and Change ‘Revolution’ literally means a huge change in ideology and practice. Politically we can take it as a term used when a government is overthrown i.e. a complete sudden change of rulers and the political system of a nation. ‘Revolutionary conflict’ indirectly refers to the causes of a revolution. A revolution is a consequence of several major events leading to the ultimate result. Those consequences are a result of conflicts between two or more powerful groups. A clash of opinions and perspectives results into conflicts. ‘Revolutionary changes’ ultimately refer to the outcomes of a revolution i.e. the resulting reforms and alterations that progress after a revolution. Most changes begin with a single major conflict but it is not until later that we realize whether it is revolutionary or not. On the other hand, when a nation faces the problem of sovereignty, a revolutionary outcome is guaranteed. When various major parties arise in a nation, with various ideologies, that condition is known as multiple sovereignty. Yet the result i.e. victory and defeat, in any condition can never be predicted with certainty. Dual sovereignty is when a nation has two major parties, mainly the ruling party and the opposition party, with two different point of views. Irish revolution was a rebellion against the British rule by the ‘united Irishmen’ of Ireland (The 1798 Irish rebellion 2013). ‘United society of Irishmen’ was a combination of various protesting parties into a single society. They demanded the separation of Ireland from Britain. The causes for this demand were deep rooted. The main conflict between the British and the Irish was due to religion. For many years Ireland had been ruled by the Anglican minority as they were a member of ‘established church that was loyal to the British crown’. This class abused their status by discerning and disgracing the catholic Irish and other anti-Anglican groups. The United Irishmen demanded for such parliamentary reforms that would provide catholic emancipation along with the ‘right to vote’ for everyone and independence. Poynings' law, Declaratory Act and the fact that Ireland was given lesser rights than other British colonies are some of the reasons which led to numerous disagreements between the government and the public. The United society of Irishmen mainly relied on the intervention of the French military. Their assistance came as promised in fleets however adverse weather conditions scattered them leaving the Irish support less. The French fleets were an open declaration of rebellion thus the British, acting from the Dublin castle, suppressed the society to almost non-existence. Contrary to further plans, the Dublin rebels retreated at the last second of rebellion and brought the minor resistances up front creating confusion, chaos and terror. All the rebellions were suppressed with the exception of Wexford. However the rebels again faced defeat New Ross, Arklow, Newtownbarry. The northern rebellions in Ballymena, Antrim and Ballynahinch were brutally crushed by the military. The United Irishmen suffered much causality and the northern revolt was suppressed. The army then progressed towards the Vinegar Hill where the rebels had camped. The army made a surprise attack upon them. They were slaughtered and hanged mercilessly. The British regained control over the country. The last blow on behalf of the Irish rebels was made by the French when 1000 troops attacked and won at Castlebar. However it was an empty victory as the French soon ran out of steam and surrendered to the British. The chief outcome of the rebellious activities was the abolishment of Irish parliament. Their failed freedom and independence movement led the British to take even more severe measures against them. This resulted in even lesser freedom, equality and liberty to the citizens of Ireland. The numerous amounts of causalities due to this rebellion also seemed pointless in the end. American Revolution was a rebellion against the British by the 13 colonies present in America. There were many differences between the two parties, the first being geographical. The long distances between the ruling nation and the public led to the differences in its culture, traditions, opinions, perspectives and ideology. These contradictions included the way of ruling i.e. Britain followed the monarchal system whereas the colonists believed in elected bodies. The colonists were tolerant towards religious differences but the British were not so accepting. Majority of the Britain’s population was dependent on charity however the colonists were relatively richer. Slavery was a very common notion in the colonies contradictory to the British notion. Molasses Act, Iron Act, Proclamation of 1763, Sugar Act, Currency Act, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Act, Tea Act, Quebec Act; all these laws were made by the British against the interests of the colonies. The events leading to the independence of U.S. were the Boston massacre (Boston Massacre), battles of Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence, intervention of European nations like France and finally the last major battle of Yorktown (Chronicle Yorktown). The American Revolution was a success and resulted in the favor of the colonists. The main outcome was their independence and the formation of the United States of America. It was the first modern revolution. It marked the first time in history that people fought for their independence. It was an inspiration for many further revolutions. It created constitutional rights and rule of law which included equality before the law. French Revolution was between the Third Estate of France i.e. the commoners against the king and the nobility. (Jeremy 10-25) The reasons include the resentment of the third Estate i.e. the commoners, for their omission in the government, honorable positions and political seats. Awareness had increased within the peasantry hence they also demanded for their rights and resisted against feudal systems. The French had helped America during their revolution in the favor of the colonists thus the ideology of liberty, equality and freedom had spread far and wide in France. Their involvement in the American Revolution also brought economic problems which led to rising debts, increasing taxes and ultimately bankruptcy. Agriculture in France also deteriorated thus bringing even more losses to the nation along with restlessness and agitation amongst the masses. The revolution started when the Estate-general met and 1 vote was given to each estate regardless of the population even though the third estate represented the 75% of the country. When the third estate resisted they were excluded and locked out of the meeting however the estate then took an oath to demand for their rights. The events in this revolution are the formation of the National Assembly, storming of Bastille, flight of Louis XVI (the king), counter-revolution war, execution of Louis XVI, reign of terror, war in vendee, the new constitution – thus marking the end of a successful revolution. As a result, the great unrest and agitation during all the revolutionary years led to the coup d’etat of Napoleon Bonaparte. Ultimately the French achieved their objective of overthrowing the king and bringing changes to their constitution (The Oxford History of the French revolution) The Dutch patriot crisis was simply a revolt by the majority of the middle class against the Prince to over throw his government as he was gaining wealth and power day by day. The chief reason seemed to be his increasing wealth as the Dutch, at that time, held much of the world’s capital in its banks along with 40% of Britain’s national debt. Prince William’s wife, Wilhelmina (also the sister of Frederick William II, King of Prussia.) cleverly crossed the defensive areas where she was arrested by the rebels thus giving the kingdom of Prussia an excuse to intervene. The army of Prussia crushed all rebellion thus failing the revolution. Most of the Patriots went into exile, others were killed and the prince returned to power. A revolutionary conflict brings a great change in a country regardless of the outcome. It brings forth the opinions of a public and the true motives of the ruling party like in the American Revolution i.e. when the British started passing laws- Stamp Act (The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution 1995) - against the colonies to bring benefits to themselves and the Irish Revolution when the Anglican believers were favored. The opposition also prevents the ruling party from gaining the utmost control or giving them a chance to abuse their power as the Catholic emancipation was completed when the Irish took a stand. A revolutionary conflict brings a lot of things into open air. It also exposes the stance of other countries regarding the nation’s wellbeing for example during the Irish rebellion the support of France proved to the Irish that they were their well-wishers however during the Dutch revolt the French intervened to support the patriots but ended up invading and ruling over them. A distinct line is formed between friend and foe for example the treatment of British towards the loyalists alienated the loyalists. The stance and position of a country becomes quiet clear during a revolutionary conflict. It is impossible to return to the status of status quo ante after a revolution. In the successful revolutions of America and France the changes were huge and vast. A separate nation of 13 colonies was formed with completely different ideology and principles. While in France; the revolution started with kingship, leading towards the formation of a constitution and ending at coup d’etat. However the failed revolutions of Ireland and Dutch brought comparatively less changes. Their outcome was an increase in oppression and cruelty against the rebellions. The Irish were snatched with their previous rights even. Their rebellion led to a deterioration of conditions instead of improvements. It seems ironic that in these revolutions many a people sacrificed their lives and belongings to bring destruction to their country. All the Dutch patriots were exiled thus snatching them of their houses, belongings, titles, properties etc. However regardless of the outcome, all the revolutions cause a numerous number of causalities from every party and the life of a man is something that can never return to the status quo ante. The first and inevitable common outcome in every Revolution is the loss of precious human lives from every side. The rebellions of Wexford, northern areas and attack on Vinegar Hill caused great bloodshed during the Irish Revolution. During American Revolution the Boston massacre (Chronicle Boston), battles of Lexington, Concord and Yorktown caused the killing of many men. During the French revolution the storming of Bastille, counter-revolution war and reign of terror took a lot of lives from this world. The war with Prussia by the Dutch patriots caused the death of numerous brave men. The second common outcome is the intervention of an external country for aid during every revolution- mostly France. In conclusion a revolution is a gigantic change which leaves a huge mark in the world’s history. Works Cited "The Boston Massacre." Boston Massacre. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. . Popkin, Jeremy D. A Short History of the French Revolution. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print. "Liberty the series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. . "Liberty the series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. . "The 1798 Irish rebellion." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. . Doyle, William. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. Oxford [England: Clarendon Press, 1989. Print. Oxenbridge Thacher Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, XXII, 414, quoted in Edmund S. Morgan and Helen M. Morgan, The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995), 36. Read More