Revolutions
Driving Question: How did people transform the political systems under which they lived, and were these changes felt equally around the world and within communities?
Revolutionary ideas emerged as individuals began to feel social and political inequalities. Enlightenment thinkers played a crucial role in shaping those revolutionary ideas. The combination of new thinking, economic inequality, and political grievances sparked movements that toppled kings and built a world of nation-states.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the roles sovereignty, individualism, and equality played in political revolutions.
- Use the course frames to evaluate how revolutions reshaped human communities in the long nineteenth century.
Vocab Terms:
- capitalism
- democracy
- govern
- liberal
- nation-state
- revolution
- right
- sovereignty
Check out “‘You Say You Want a Revolution’—How Do You Make Connections?” in the Community Forum for a ton of ideas about how to teach this activity and others in this unit.
As you may have guessed from its title, this unit is all about revolutions. So what is a revolution? Look at some revolutionary song lyrics to consider the definition.
This video uses the unexpected example of Saint-Louis in Senegal as a way to get students thinking about the wide-ranging impacts of the Age of Revolutions. This will get them primed to think about some of the questions they’ll encounter in one of Lesson 4.3’s articles: “West Africa in the Age of Revolutions.”
Be sure to ask students if they think this period should be called an Age of Revolutions if the impacts and participation were often so uneven.
Agree or disagree? Evaluate some statements before you dive into Unit 4—then see how accurate you were when you get to the end of the unit.
Preview questions: Give students all the video comprehension questions in advance—or highlight anything you want them to focus on in advance—to help orient their attention. (Note that students will be prompted to preview the questions and transcript for all videos on the OER Project website.) If you’re looking for closed captioning or subtitles in other languages, you can watch all our videos on the OER Project YouTube channel.
New ideas can spark new hopes and dreams for the future. In the late eighteenth century, revolutionary visions aimed to transform social, economic, and political structures.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- In general, who could participate in the governments of most states around the world before 1750?
- How would you describe the political changes that began in this period?
- The French Revolution promised political participation to many. What did the inhabitants of Saint Louis, a West African port under French rule, think of this revolution? Did they get to participate?
- What does the evidence suggest about the spread of democracy around the world since 1750?
After you watch
Respond to this question: What are some ways that ideas like sovereignty are expressed in our political and legal systems today?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- How would you describe the politics and governments around the world at the beginning of the long nineteenth century?
- What new political ideas resulted from the circulation of ideas around the world?
- In which part of the world were the first revolutions during this period?
- What is nationalism, and what role did it play in political revolutions?
After you read
Respond to this question: What were the limitations of the political revolutions that emerged during this period?
This video and activity will help us use the frames to evaluate the causes and effects of political and national revolutions during the long nineteenth century.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What were some of the biggest communities in 1750?
- What other kinds of communities were important in people’s lives around 1750?
- What did almost everyone share in this period, whether they lived in a big empire or a smaller community?
- What were three new ideas about community that emerged during the long nineteenth century?
- Was the rise of the nation-state during this period truly revolutionary?
After you watch
Respond to this question: Why has the nation-state become such a dominant form of community?
Consider prompting your English-learner students to try translanguaging as they break down the meaning of revolution and evolution. That strategy—and more ways to support all learners—is covered in our Differentiation Guide.
The age of revolutions turned the world upside down. Or did it?
A great way to improve your own writing skills is to evaluate writing samples. In this activity, you’ll use your own writing or a sample essay to evaluate the use of analysis and evidence.
