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What Causes Revolutions?

Driving Question: Are revolutions sparked by new ideas or by economic conditions?

The rights of the individual, the sovereignty of states, the growth of capitalism, and new ideas about democracy were ingredients in the recipe for revolution. But revolutionaries also took to the streets to protest the price of bread. What’s more important—new political ideas or economic realities?

Learning Objectives

  1. Evaluate the importance of ideological and material conditions in producing revolutions.
  2. Practice the historical thinking skill of causation to assess the sources of revolutionary action.

Vocab Terms:

  • bourgeoisie
  • capitalism
  • citizen
  • consent
  • enslaved people
  • indentured laborers
  • sovereignty
STEP 1

Opener: What Causes Revolutions?

Teaching Tools

The lesson opener asks students to determine causes and effects for a social outburst in Chile in 2019. Need to brush up on causation? See page 4 of our Historical Thinking Skills Guide.

The study of a revolution is incomplete unless we consider the causes—why did it happen? You’ll learn a lot more about revolution and causation in this lesson. Jump-start your thinking by exploring the causes of a real-life “social outburst.”

STEP 2

Revolutionary Ideas and Empty Stomachs

Teaching Tools

The two articles in this lesson step are meaty! Remember that you can adjust the Lexile level at the top left of the page. Check out other ideas to support students on pages 4 and 5 of our Reading Guide.

What causes revolutions? Do revolutionary ideals spark people to action? Or are economic conditions more important? Use these two articles and activity to decide for yourself.

STEP 3

Mapping Revolutionary Causes

Teaching Tools

As students map causes and consequences of revolutions, you may want to differentiate for some learners. We’ve got ideas for building in supports! See page 8 of our Differentiation Guide Locked .

Use the information from your Revolutions Causation Tool to create a causal map that makes the connections between events over time and uncovers what really causes revolutions.

STEP 4

Closer: What Causes Revolutions?

We all know what it feels like to want to see something change. The “something” might be as minor as what’s on the lunch menu, or as major as a whole political system. In this quick activity, you’ll write your own revolutionary manifesto.

Extension Materials
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The article below adds some important context to the long lineage of democratic ideals that emerged during the Age of Revolution.
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Revolutionary Ideas in England

The roots of revolutionary thought go further back than the Enlightenment. Extend this lesson by exploring the political changes in England that started 600 years before the Age of Revolution.