Cause Of Violence In The Haitian And French Revolution

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Pages: 5

If you were to live in either the Haitian or French revolution you had to be extremely cautious, saying, doing, or even being the wrong thing could lead to harsh death. Violence in the Haitian and French revolution was a key role in how it played out. Leaders of both these revolutions had to keep discipline and strict rules in order to keep themselves safe from any traitors or threats. This would often result in brutal, sometimes barbaric behavior, as well as scaring the people for their lives.This essay will prove that the cause of violence for both revolutions was the political structure, and that it was socially used for control and retribution.
In the Haitian and French revolution, a major cause for violence was the unfair or corrupt government.
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The French colonists owned the vast majority of slaves in Haiti, treating them with excruciating labor, as well as very harsh, severe punishments and torture. This type of treatment built up to the event that kicked off the Haitian revolution called the Boukman rebellion. The rebellion was explicitly about violence, it was all about killing as many oppressive whites as possible, as well as burning down and destroying any plantations. This rebellion of slaves in the north led to them gaining a third of the island in just a matter of days (Haitian Rev. Notes). This event in the Haitian revolution shows that violence was not used just for political reasons, but for more personal reasons as well. For many slaves, the revolution was to show vengeance for every violent, hateful, barbaric thing the French colonists did to them. Also, the burning and destruction of the plantations symbolized finally being “free,” because the plantations symbolized enslavement and repression to them. Ultimately, it is clear that there were other, more deeper meanings for using violence than just a discriminatory