Revolution

a radical change in government or in social affairs. An unsuccessful military uprising is termed usually a rebellion. A successful attempt to overturn the government is a revolution. The English Revolution of 1688 was a comparatively bloodless affair. It resulted in the driving of James II, the last of the Stuarts, from the English throne, and the coronation of William and Mary. The American Revolution is called also the War of American Independence. Hostilities began with the battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775, and closed with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. A peace guaranteeing the independence of the American colonies was concluded with Great Britain in 1783. The French Revolution, the last of the three great revolutions of modern history, may be said to have begun with the convocation of the States-General in 1789. It resulted in the downfall of French feudalism, the practical destruction of the French monarchy, the substitution of the Empire of Napoleon for that of Louis XVI, and the ultimate establishment of the French republic. All three revolutions resulted in distinct gains for the cause of popular government. The change from the domestic to the factory system of manufacturing is known in Great Britain as the Industrial Revolution. See French Revolution