Common Sense was an instant
best-seller. Published in January 1776 in Philadelphia, nearly 120,000 copies
were in circulation by April. Paine's brilliant arguments were straightforward.
He argued for two main points: (1) independence from England and (2) the
creation of a democratic republic. Paine avoided flowery prose. He wrote in the
language of the people, often quoting the Bible in his arguments. Most people
in America had a working knowledge of the Bible, so his arguments rang true.
Paine was not religious, but he knew his readers were. King George was
"the Pharaoh of England" and "the Royal Brute of Great
Britain." He touched a nerve in the American countryside.
This complexity indicates that "<span>c. Evolution is a slow, gradual, and continuous process," since the only reason such complexity forms is to "adapt" to an ever-changing environment. </span>
It could be argued that the most significant consequence of the Russian Revolution of 1917 was that "<span>A. The Bolsheviks under Lenin seized power and instituted a Communist government that lasted more than seventy years," since this was ultimately the basis for the Cold War that existed between the USSR and the US. </span>
