CSCH 3007 ATLANTIC REVOLUTIONS 1760-1820
This seminar will examine the sequence of revolutions that exploded across the North Atlantic in the period between 1770 and 1810. It will concentrate on the "great" revolutions, i.e. the American and the French, but it will include the experiences of smaller entities in the constellation such as Holland, Ireland, and Haiti. We will examine the origins of this upheaval in its cultural and intellectual context (the eighteenth century Enlightenment) its economic context (the rise of European empires and the commercial revolutions) and finally the rise of popular politics and a popular press. The comparative aspects of success and failure will also be addressed. This course also may count toward the requirements for the major or minor in History.