/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.3253424]

I was watching a show on History channel called "Mankind: The Story of All of Us", and the episode was about the Age of Enlightenment. Throughout the episode I was waiting for them to cover the French Revolution. After they finished the American Revolution, they basically said: "After that, the idea of liberty started to spread around the world, starting revolutions in France and [some other countries]". And that was it. I literally laughed out loud. One of the key events of the era was referred to in a single word. The American Revolution, on the other hand, got good 20 minutes of air.

This made me curious. Do Americans consider their revolution as the more relevant in history? Do they consider the French one relevant at all? Does the rest of the world even care about the American?

Basically - which one was more important? Of course the American was important for, you know, creating America, the main superpower at this moment, but on the other hand, as far as social changes go, was it really that important?

[Anonymous No.3253458]

The American incident was not a revolution.

It was a rebellion.

The French one was an actual revolution - topsy turvy, society shaking revolution.

[Anonymous No.3253476]

Well in Australian schools at least, we learn about both events quite equally, but things such as our own independence and our contribution to previous major wars comes first. I assume it's the same for every country honestly, except Germany.

[Anonymous No.3253538]

Obviously to Americans it is relevant. Every country is going to give undue weight to shit that actually happened there.

[Anonymous No.3253549]

For societal change the French Revolution was more important.

[Anonymous No.3253557]

Mankind is a direct response to the tremendous criticism that History has been taking for its programming choice. Its extremely low tier history.

If this stuff interests you OP, you should read Barzuns Dawn to Decadence:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?y2k7jb59zr29vo2

Neither the French nor American revolutions would have happened without the intellectual underpinnings in humanism and institutional liberalism.

[Anonymous No.3253574]

>>3253458
We revolted against England but started a new country somewhere else. Most revolutions fail, like the french revolution, because they take over the government and nobody knows how to run the country.

[Anonymous No.3253580]

>>3253424
>History channel
>not garbage
>watching network television at all
The French Revolution is probably more important, but the American Revolution is very important as well, because it provides a model for how to do a revolution successfully. If the French Revoltuion were the only revolution the world had to look at, it would be seen as a disastrous thing. The American Revolution was something people could look at as a highly successful revolution, a beacon of hope.

[Anonymous No.3253581]

>>3253574
>Most revolutions fail, like the french revolution
Spoken like the current king of France.

[Anonymous No.3253621]

>>3253580
Well said, the history channel is shit like crazy.

Slightly better are Sci, Nat Geo, or Smithsonian, although they suck too. Netflix is midtier depending on its documentary choice.

>watching tv at all.

Well said, although The Universe is just about my favorite thing to put on while I clean the house

[Anonymous No.3253626]

I would imagine the American revolution is a lot more fucking relevant to Americans than the French revolution.

[Anonymous No.3253633]

>>3253581
You know there were other governments between the Ancien Regime and the current republic, right? This is the Fifth French Republic. Directory, Legitimistes, Bonapartistes, and Orleanistes have all governed dictatorially in France since the Revolution...

[Anonymous No.3253636]

[Anonymous No.3253648]

>>3253424
American here

The French revolution is covered adequately in school, roughly equal to and slightly less than the amount of attention to the American revolution.

Usually the American revolution stuff is taught to elementary / middle school kids, so it does not get much attention in high school, even in an American history class. The French revolution is one of the more thoroughly discussed events in both world history and European history classes, so I'd say most (non-braindead) American high school students graduate with a good knowledge of it.

[Anonymous No.3253652]

>>3253648
>(non-braindead) American high school students

[satan !!1Fa7LzeI6u8 No.3253655]

>>3253648

>french revolution

woah like the levels of bretentiousness in hear

[Anonymous No.3253673]

The American Revolution isnt really big in America anymore, probably because of the terrorist aspects of it, and the obvious parallels between Vietnam, the Middle East, taxation, and the direct vote.

[Anonymous No.3253678]

>>3253424
>Does the rest of the world even care about the American?

No.

[Anonymous No.3253688]

>>3253633
But the revolution was to do away with the monarchy and aristocracy and the like. That worked.

[Anonymous No.3253856]

>>3253648
Another Amerifag here--my experience in high school (20 years ago) matches what this guy is saying.

>>3253673
What are you smoking? They teach the AR just as much as ever, and they simply ignore those parallels in most curricula.

>>3253678
One thing I don't know much about is how impactful the loss of the thirteen colonies was to the British Empire. Was it a significant step in the decline of its worldwide power?

[Anonymous No.3254020]

>>3253856
>One thing I don't know much about is how impactful the loss of the thirteen colonies was to the British Empire. Was it a significant step in the decline of its worldwide power?

It was obviously a setback at the time, but Britain wasn't at its height as a World Power until after the French Revolution.

[Anonymous No.3254027]

First country founded upon the ideals of democracy? yeah, you're right, not important at all.

ITT: America envy.

[Anonymous No.3254032]

You dumbass, they stated that they were altering that show for different localities. I guarantee that they cover the French Revolution instead of the American over in France.

[Anonymous No.3254046]

>>3254027
yfw republic

[Anonymous No.3254049]

>>3253648
American here. The only things I know about the French Revolution I learned from A Tale of Two Cities.

[Anonymous No.3254090]

>>3254027
>First country founded upon the ideals of democracy

[Anonymous No.3254176]

>>3253856
significant step in its decline - the 19th century was the height of british power, lasting from the fall of napoleon in 1814 untill the first world war in 1914. the loss of america was well before this, because in the end britian didn't need americans dragging them the fuck down

[Anonymous No.3255291]

French revolution was an Illuminati plot. Look at the top of that picture for fuck sakes.

[Anonymous No.3255298]

>>3253636
This picture is incredibly flawed and written by leftists. Enjoy your brainwashing.

[Anonymous No.3255318]

>>3255298
>This picture is incredibly flawed
This is what Americans literally believe

[Anonymous No.3255326]

>>3255318
>he's not american
Bahahaha
Enjoy your poverty and envy.

[Anonymous No.3255344]

>>3255326

>his country gets tag team assraped by Israel, China and Saudi Arabia

>thinks he can talk about poverty when his nation was bought out from under him

[Anonymous No.3255393]

I'm from America and basically up until you're in high school you believe that America is the only free country in the world because of the American revolution.

Once you're in high school you learn about European history and the French revolution.

Based off of how my teachers viewed it, the French revolution presented a lot of social change, but the country fell victim to mob madness and ended up with another monarch-like ruler.

Ultimately the American revolution is viewed as more effective because it established a republic that lasts to this day. Generally it isn't looked at as creating sweeping social changes though (poor white men had to fight for voting rights, slaves had to fight for rights, women had to fight for rights, gays had to fight for rights, etc.).

Forget what I said about my teachers. This is how I look at it, and I'm an American.

Also, I wouldn't expect a series by National Geographic to not pander to the masses. All "educational" television networks are virtually dead.

[Anonymous No.3255408]

I attended an advanced program throughout high school and our World History class focused on the French Revolution for more than half the year.
The following year, in the US History course, we focused on the American Revolution for a few weeks.
Personally, I don't really care for the American Revolution, as it wasn't as interesting and the ideas that it spread were already there.
The French Revolution was extremely interesting-- but it only showed how idiotic the French are.
I believe it developed many interesting ideas, but was a HUGE failure in the end and only ended up in great deal of dead men and Napoleon taking power.

[Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ No.3255433]

>>3253424
Seeing as how it is the first successful since, what, Athens right? it seems to be a good point to end the episode on the enlightenment period. Was there supposed to be a revolutionary age episode? If not, I don't think the show is worth a shit. French revolution is important
>>3253458
You have to be joking. Stupid Torie.
>>3253574
Its a complication. Success also depends on civility I'd say.
>>3253688
I see the revolution as not a single event in a given country, but a thing that spreads and is alive today. Yes the US threw off the king, and poor France had to throw off countless imperfect systems. We still have kings, though quite neutered, there is still a class of economic royalists that have taken the old royals.

I imagine the education here in the States is uneven, some will know more than others.

Pictured: Danton. Great film.

[Anonymous No.3255447]

>>3253424
>Makind: The History of [White Americans]

[Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ No.3255449]

>>3255408
I see it as a revolution that kept going till it got it right, or rather, better and better

[Anonymous No.3255462]

The Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the History Channel are so shit.

>Mayan Calendar
>Was Hitler gay?
>Fishing
>Talking about fishing
>Fishing on ice
>Fishing with aliens: did we come from outer space?

I swear it never used to be so shitty. BBC Knowledge is pretty God-tier though.

[Anonymous No.3255544]

Was the French Revolution 'inspired' by the American one, so to speak? i.e. would it have happened when it did if the American Revolution hadn't happened, or hadn't been successful? I don't know enough about either event.

[Anonymous No.3255567]

I can't speak for all of Canada, but where I went to school I learned way, way more about the revolution in France than the one in America.

[Anonymous No.3255608]

>>3255567
Ditto in BC.

[Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ No.3255611]

>>3255544
Yes, but it may have just as well have happened out of the sequence we all know. The fall of Constantinople lead to the renaissance which lead to the enlightenment which lead to the revolutionary age and all the modernity that came with it. Like a steam train, it was all going to happen. I can't wait to see the end of corporations!

[Anonymous No.3255640]

>>3255344
>HE LIVES IN THE EUROZONE

lel

[Anonymous No.3255643]

>>3255449
Paris commune was a statist shithole. lol

[Anonymous No.3255714]

>>3255608

I didn't learn about either of them.

Regards,

Surrey

[Anonymous No.3255750]

The history channel is most known for ancient aliens

[Anonymous No.3255755]

Oliver Stone is doing a history series about USA history. I think it's since WW2 or something, though. It's on Showtime

[Anonymous No.3256123]

>>3255640

>your nation when

lel

[Anonymous No.3256145]

That's realy sad because americans seems to be so brainwashed that trying to be objective is impossible to them. Their lack of knowledge of history makes things even worse.

[Anonymous No.3256156]

I don't want to sound like a "muh Americuh," elitist, but the US revolution was important because it resulted in, perhaps, the most important governing document in post-Renaissance history. At least, as far as it pertains to Democracy.

[Anonymous No.3256158]

this troll thread will land over 400 replies and remain on top of /lit/ all week

[Anonymous No.3256239]

It must have been. Why else would they have made an Assassin's Creed about it? You really can't argue with that.