Question

Which of the following describes a similarity between the American and French revolutions?

Answer 1

Answer:

Both revolutions were partially the result of people's concern about taxes.

Explanation:

Both the American and french revolution were the result of the burden of taxes on a particular section of society. While in America the oppressors were British colonial masters, the common people of France were under the burden of taxes of the priest and nobility. Secondly, the ideals of freedom and liberty advocated by philosophers like Locke and Rousseau influenced the revolutionary spirit of both the nations.

Answer 2

The correct answer is C.

Both revolutions were triggered due to a bad financial situation that led to the increase in the tax burden that mostly affected the unprivileged social classes. From this point onwards, the two revolutions developed based on the Enlightment principles as the unpriveleged claimed for decision power.

The Enlightenment philosophers, such as Locke, Monstequieu or Rosseau. introduced ideas that challenged, and ended up derrocating, the power structures of the Old Regime. They promoted reason and the scientific method over religious dogmatism and superstititions.

The main principles developed were the following: definition of bills of citizens' rights, social contract (citizens electing political representatives to create goverments through suffrage, in opposition to the prevailing absolute monarchies), and the division of the powers of the state in order to avoid excessive power accumulation in certain sectors, and risks of authoritarism.