Man has historically struggled between those who have supremacy over the weak either because they have more power or authority over other citizens and those who strike back because they believe they have as much right as others or no longer want to be dominated by another class or country. In the French and Haitian revolution, the people of the two nations revolt, or rebel against their government which caused majorpolitical, social and economic changes. The people of these two nations hadsuffered enoughfrom the prejudice and inequitable distributions of classes, gaps between the rich and the poor, and restrictions to their human rights.
Politically, France was changed from a Monarchy to a republic. National Assembly, the first of many revolutionary governments, adoptedthe Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen on April 26, 1789. This document legalized thedestruction of the old government which was based on authoritarianism and privileges, and the creation of a new government based on fixed rights of individuals, liberty, and political quality. The basic principles of this documents were that; all men are born free men and had equal rights, citizens had their liberty and right to own property, all men are equal before law, no one was to be arrested without commanded order, citizens had the freedom to choose their religions, freedom of speech, right to be protected, and all citizen are eligible for any job if qualified. The rights of citizens couldn’t be tampered with by any other citizen. This document whichwas inspired by the Enlightenment thinkers marked a huge impact on politics in France.
Like France, the slave rebellion which started in 1791 In Haiti caused the Legislative Assembly in France to free all the slaves. Consequently, Haiti became a republic. The republic was divided into two parts; the Republic of Haiti and the Kingdom of Haiti in the North. Christophe Henry was elected first president of the state of Haiti on February 17, 1807. It had an independent government and was the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere. Even though Haiti was a free nation, many other nations did not want to associate with a free slave society, but what was more important was they had their independence.
There were some economic changes in France after the revolution. The National Assembly ended feudalism and special privileges of the first and second estates. Land was seized from the first estate and given to the third estates. The first estates became employees, and they had to pay taxes like everyone else. When Napoleon became emperor, he set up the Bank of France in Paris, to stabilize the country’s economy. It was linked to the European Central Bank. Its function was to control interest rate police in France. The bank was able to issue bank notes to people in Paris. New industries and industrial techniques were created. Schools were opened to prepare young men for jobs. Napoleon also developed a firm tax collection policy. The economic had improved from the time of the French Revolution to this period.
Haiti faced great economic problems after their revolution. The new republic had to pay reparations of 90 million dollars to France in order to be recognized as an independent nation. Haiti’s treasury went bankrupt as a result. Haitian government seized all the land from land from all the French whites and land could not be owned by any individual anymore. Even though the government owned 90% of the land, the revolutionary wars caused profitable coffee and sugar plantations to be destroyed. Haiti’s economy crushed as years went and even till date, they haven’t fully recovered the economy.
Haiti became the first Independent country in Latin America; even though its society continued to be affected by the way French established their colonial rules. White French people in Haiti were asked to evacuate the country. Because many whites had seen to it that their mixed raced children with the African women had good education and training, their descendant became aristocratic in Haiti after the revolution. Slavery and the French colonialism left lasting distinction and a break between the black Haitians and the mixed cultured Haitians. Members of the upper class liked the Franco-Haitian culture because of the French language and manners separated them from the majority whom they wished to rule while the former slaves established a peasant culture. This had negative results towards the peasants' life, especially toward the Creole language, traditional marriages and voodoo, their religion
France as well had some social changes after the revolution. On July 19, 1790, National Assembly decrees the hereditary nobility and titles abolished forever. Titles like Prince, Duke, Court Marquis, Baron, knights and other similar names was not to be used to address any other citizen. Incense shall be burned only in churches and not offered to anyone else. No citizen could take the liberty of attacking either the monuments in churches or charters, titles or other documents concerning families or properties of the decorations of public places. The death of feudalism and the implementation of the Napoleon Code (Code de Napoleon) in the 18 century brought together the country’s contracts and the managed to achieve some social order. The spread of Nationalism, were citizens come together and work towards the good of their country as a people. People worked together to improve the city of Paris and made it a city everyone citizen would be proud of. Nationalism motivated France to be a self-assigned protector of the Roman Catholic Church.
As French and Haiti went through their revolutions, they faced political, economic and social changes. French changed from being a monarchy to a republic, were every citizen was treated equally under the law. Citizens had their basic human rights. Haiti on the other hand changed from being a slave-holding colony, to being a republic with its independence. France went through some economic innovation. For example, first and second estates became employees and began paying taxes. A Bank of France was established. Haiti’s economy crumbled after the revolution because they had to pay a huge sum of money to France slaveholder for compensation in order to be recognized as an independent nation. The white French people were asked to evacuate Haiti, but they had some well-educated and trained children with African women who stayed in Haiti. There was a separation between the formerly slave Haitian and the mixed Haitians because the mixed were rich and liked the Franco-Haitian culture well the former slaves were peasants and had their own culture. Titles were no longer used to address citizens in France.