French Revolution (1789-1815) 1. French Revolution vs. American Revolution (1775-1800) a. What was revolted against? i. American Revolution 1. Unfair taxes 2. Settling west of the Appalachian was prohibited. ii. French Revolution 1. Traditional monarchy 2. Power of the Church 3. Hereditary aristocracy b. Outcomes i. American Revolution 1. Created an enduring form or representative democracy ii. French Revolution 1. Expanded mass participation in political life 2. Radicalized the democratic tradition inherited from the English and American experiences but could not be sustained so Napoleon became dictator 3. Symbolic drama a. Beheading of French king Louis XVI (1793) 2. French Society a. First Estate, Clergy i. Numbered 130,000 in a nation of 28 million