The Influence of Social, Political, and Technological Growth
The society is continuously influenced by social, political, and technological growth. But while some societies welcome these elements, others reject them. Acceptance and rejection are frequently quiet and smooth. This process has the potential to become violent at some time, sparking social revolutions. Samuel Huntington defines revolution as fundamental, quick, and violent internal changes in prevailing values and societal myths, as well as changes in social structure, organizations, leadership, policies, and governmental activity. Political unrest and acts of violence led to both the French Revolution (1789–1799) and the Russian Revolution (1917–1955). Despite the fact that they have a lot in common, they also vary greatly from one another. Comparison between French revolution and Russian revolution
Aims of the French and Russian Revolutions
Both revolutions aimed at ending the financial crisis and corrupt political system in their respective country. In 1789, the French revolution started with a clear goal; removing a weak government, corrupt political system and solving financial problems the nation was facing. People wanted able leaders to develop and improve the declining French economy. However, this goal was never achieved because, after ten years of revolutions, the French people realized they were just replacing a corrupt regime with another corrupt regime (Backman 622). The same applies to Russian revolutions which took place in 1917. For many years the Russian suffered regular attacks from Khazars, Byzantines, Poles and Turkish among others. Also, the then regime held firm autocracy and offered no hopes regarding reforms to save the declining economy. In most cases, Russian were forced to leave their homes due to attacks from their enemies. They wanted a leader who could protect them and improve the economy thus they saw the revolution as the best method of changing their leadership course (Backman 925).
Desire for Revenge
Both the French and Russians wanted revenge for humiliations they suffered at the hands of their enemies. The French demanded revenge for regular humiliation defeats in the war for seven consecutive years. They even offered support to rebels by supplying them ammunition and guns. Enemies such as Turkish regularly attacked the Russian, and the manner in which the government responded was unsatisfactory. For example, the government signed treaties as a tactic to end wars while the Russians wanted more from their leaders who failed them.
Radicalization of the Revolutions
French and Russian revolutions resulted in radicalization. Both countries (Russia and France) tried to come up with moderate democratic political orders, but the attempts failed, leading to radicalization. For example, in the year 1791, France inaugurated a constitutional monarchy that required sharing of power between Louis XVI and the national assembly. The move failed because he set new political orders and when people discovered his action he attempted to escape (Nicole). The revolution in France became radical when Jacobins took legislative control. He then ordered the execution of the king. In 1917, Russia followed suit with their move to build a democratic institution and a stabilized nation. The inability of the regime to stabilize political unrest domestically and increased pressure as a result of its involvement in World War I saw the emergency of Bolsheviks who capitalized on these weaknesses to take full control of the government in 1917. The radicalization led to the abolition of all monarchs. In Russia, radicalization paved the way for the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family later the same year.
Role of Ideology
In both revolutions, the manner in which revolutionists conducted their activities and the role executed by ideology shaped the course of events. It is clear that revolutionists in France and Russia were unaware of the ideological power they unleashed to people and not the monarch. They forgot that people should form the foundation of the nation. This power of ideas caused revolutionary violence and in the end affected the positive results revolutions promised.
Differences between French Revolution and Russian Revolution
When one takes a close comparison between revolutions in these nations, many differences are evident despite their encouraging similarities. By closing examining these revolutionaries from citizenship and family point of view, you will discover that Russia's revolution was more radical than France in a manner it enacts broad and in embracing changes.
Timing of the Revolutions
The Russia revolution took place over a decade after the French revolutions had begun. The French revolution took place in 1789 while the Russian revolution occurred in 1917 (Backman 622). The French revolution was part of the 'Age of Revolutions' which included Haiti and American revolutions while the revolution in Russia took place during the World War I. During this period, the revolution resulted in severe consequences as compared to the French revolution. Russia suffered great impacts because it was busy fighting in the World War I when internal rebellions started, on the other side, French revolution was something the nation needed to save the quickly declining economy. At the same time, during this event, France had no conflict international the reason it never felt heavy effects of revolution.
Role of Women and Family
The role played by women and family creates a clear picture of how these revolutions differed. For instance, the Russian revolution paid great attention to women's rights compared to French revolutions. Additionally, women and their families formed a vast and influential part of this revolution when they came in as a strong working force in 1918. Bolsheviks realized the role families and women played during the war, and after one year in office, he introduced a family code that promoted families' protections and also empowered women, something that was not seen in the entire world leave alone France. The code raised women's civil status to match those of men. During the Russian revolution, women were considered the economic backbone and especially in the process of increasing population after the devastation caused by the war. In 1905, women played an active role during bread riots as revolutions gained momentum in Russia and their role kept on increasing. On the other hand, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels viewed the position and role of women during the evolutions from a different perspective. According to them, women were the cause of domestic chores and their involvement in the revolutions could cause more problems, thus they decided women should seek independence from their husbands. However, the two leaders were against capitalism because they argued that socialism is the only way to gain family balance (Nicole).
Conclusion
In conclusion, connections between the Russian and French revolution cannot be ignored. However, there are clear distinctions between these revolutions. The Russian revolutions took place more than a decade after revolutions in France had begun. Women played a prominent role in the Russia's revolutions than in France. However, the French revolutions were more radicalized since their ideologies were long-term focused. Russia developed quickly after the Bolshevik's rise to power, but these developments never lasted long. With that said, commonalities between these revolutions are not enough to say they are similar since many differences exist between them.
Work cited
Backman, Clifford R. The Cultures of the West. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2016,
Smith, Nicole. "A Comparison and Analysis of the French versus Russian Revolutions."
Articlemyriad.Com, 2011, http://www.articlemyriad.com/comparison-analysis-french-russian-revolutions/.
