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Montesquieu publishes book "On the Spirit of Laws"
Montesquieu was a French philosophe, or philosopher during the Enlightenment. He believed in separation of powers. His ideas are in the French, United States, and Latin American constitutions now. -
America declares its Independence
The American colonies set up by the British were along the eastern coast of North America. The colonists were angry at the British, not because they were being heavily taxed but because they did not like "taxation without representation". They began to protest the taxes, and it made the colonies more like a government. They also created 2 Continental Congress to decide this matter. On July 4th, 1776, they officially declared their independence. -
French Revolution
France had social classes called the Old Regime. In the Old Regime, there were three classes-The First Estate (made up of the king and the Catholic Curch's clergy), the Second Estate (privileged nobles) and the Third Estate (the middle and working class, and the peasants). The Third Estate was taxed 50% of their income. This, and the factor that the cost of life was rising due to shortages of bread, led to the Revolution. It ended in a totalitarian regime, just what it started with. -
Napoleon overthrows Directory through a coup d'état
Napoleon originally was the first consul in the Directory, a government of France with originally five, and later three, people. When he got back from Egypt (he was the military general), the Directory had left France quite weak. He could've taken over, but instead he let the people decide who should be their government. They chose him to govern, of course. -
Haiti wins freedom from France
France controlled the island of Haiti in the Americas. The slaves working on sugar plantations revolted because of bad working conditions, and because they were enslaved. This revolt was the only slave revolt in history to succeed. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor and begins to create vast European Empire
Napoleon wanted to make himself emperor, and the people agreed. Instead of letting Pope Pius VII crown him, he took the crown and placed it on his head, proving that he had more power than the Church. He then began conquer most of Europe, but failed to set up an empire in the Americas, losing Haiti to the first slave revolt that was successful. However, when he marched to Russia he lost 99% of his 400,000 troops he took. -
Padre Miguel Hidalgo calls for Mexican Independence
Padre Miguel Hidalgo, in charge of the bells, gathered his people in his village of Dolores. Known as the cry for Dolores, he rallied his troops-overall 80,000 men- to Mexico City, scaring the creoles and Spanish army. Although the army defeated Hidalgo in 1811, it turned to Padre Jose Maria Morelos. He was defeated by Iturbide, who 4 years later claimed Mexico's independence from Spain (ironically). He later became a dictator, but was overthrown in 1823, making Central America fully independent -
Napoleon loses at the Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon was prepared to fight Duke Wellington of Britain at Waterloo. They were evenly matched in numbers, but Napoleon had more horses and could attack quicker. It was raining, so Napoleon let the field dry. However, while it was dry, the Prussian army came to Wellington's aid. Napoleon was outnumbered, and eventually lost. As a result, Napoleon was shipped to St. Helena, in the middle of the South Atlantic, and lived for six more years in a lonely exile. (photo courtesy: Google Maps)
