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Jethro Tull makes the Seed Drill
Before Jethro Tull made the Seed Drill, there used to be sowers who threw the seeds within the soil. This led to the seeds not being placed correctly. With Jethro Tull's Seed Drill, the seeds were placed much more efficiently, which led to more crop yields, which led to more food overall. This is a change since this innovation was different than the methods used before to plant seeds within soil. -
Adam Smith Publishes "The Wealth of Nations"
This book solidified Adam Smith as the Father of modern economics. He argued that self-interest drives prosperity through individuals’ desire to meet their needs. Smith opposed heavy government intervention in trade and introduced the idea of the "invisible hand," where self-interested actions benefit the economy. This marked a shift from mercantilism, which advocated for strong government control over economics. -
Women's March on Versailles
Women played a huge role in the French Revolution and society, and this march demonstrated this change. This was a change since this is one of the first times we see real female empowerment through rebellion in Europe. Due to bread scarcity, women marched to Versailles and demanded the King for bread. After Louis XVI refused, women stormed the palace and killed guards. Only Lafayette saved Louis XVI from certain death that day. -
Riots ensue at the Bastille
Louis XVI was forced to accept limitation of power from the National Assembly. However, he secretly got a force to crush the rebellion against him. After this revelation was leaked, the San-Culottes stormed the Bastille, which was a French prison and a symbol of the king's tyranny. This is a continuity, since many uprisings against monarchs in France occurred before, such as the Fronde Rebellion against King Louis XIV. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen is Published
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen was a revolutionary document published by Olympe de Gouges in 1789. This document called for female equality and asserted that women were equal to men in society. De Gouges asserts that women also have inalienable rights like men, and as such, they should also be entitled to representation in the National Assembly. This was a huge change since not many feminist ideologies arose in European countries before this. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is Adopted
After attaining power, the National Assembly drafted and passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This new document called for freedom of speech and a representative government. IT also abolished the first and second estates' hereditary rights. While revolutionary in French society, this is a continuity since it was heavily inspired by documents drafted before, like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy is Passed
After the National Assembly got control of France, they attempted to weaken the power of the clergy by enacting various acts that reduced the power of the Catholic Church. Some of these acts were disbanding monastic orders and seizing church lands. They also stopped the tithe, which was a tax imposed on peasants by the Church. This is a continuity, since in the past, many rulers weakened the power of the Church for their own benefit, such as King Philip IV of France kidnapping of Pope Boniface. -
King Louis XIV Gets Executed by Guillotine
King Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by the National Convention in 1793. Despite his bravery in the face of death during his Trial and execution, this didn't do much to restore his legacy. He was executed by guillotine. This is a change, since executing a monarch was unprecedented and had never occurred before. It also led to the surrounding monarchies being horrified of the situation in France, and it let everyone know the real gravity of the Revolution. -
The Reign of Terror ensues in France
The Reign of Terror, led by Maximilian Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety, arose from fears within the Jacobin Party that revolutionary gains would be lost. This led to the execution of over 40,000 people by guillotine. The Reign ended with Robespierre’s execution in July 1794. This is a continuity since in the past, instances of authorities killing those opposing them have occurred, like Jan Hus' death at the stake carried out by the Papacy. -
Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin
Before the Cotton Gin, cotton seeds had to be plucked out individually. This was a very slow and inefficient process. Whitney's solution, the Cotton Gin, made it so the machine cleaned the cotton of its seeds fast and efficient using brushes. This led to a boom in cotton production, which made it so that now, the cotton supply was able to meet up with the demand in Europe. This is a change since this machine had a whole new way of cleaning cotton as opposed to the older, more manual counterpart.