Final answer:
People in France and the Americas were willing to rebel against their governments due to a combination of a desire for political representation, economic hardship, and the influence of Enlightenment ideas, culminating in the French Revolution and the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The willingness of the people in France and the Americas to rebel against their governments stemmed from a breadth of causes and motivations. These include A. A desire for greater political representation and individual freedoms, B. Economic hardship and inequality in society, and C. Influence from Enlightenment ideas.
The French Revolution was characterized by economic strife, political disenfranchisement, and ideological reformation, sparked by Enlightenment thinkers who championed personal liberties and challenged the entrenched social and political order.
Similarly, the American Revolution unfolded in the context of resistance to British imperial control, burdensome taxation without representation, and the quest for autonomous governance, rooted in the same Enlightenment philosophies.
In the French context, the financial distress caused by poor harvests, the inability of the Crown to provide relief, and the subsequent unrest among the peasantry created a ripe environment for revolution. The aristocracy's resistance to economic reforms and the burgeoning middle class's exclusion from political power further fueled the call for change.
In the Americas, colonial rebellions were driven by the rejection of authoritarian policies, economic restraint imposed by British trade laws, and a growing yearning for self-determination and national identity.
Such periods of unrest culminated in the radical restructuring of the old systems, from which modern democratic principles and national loyalties emerged. The newfound notions of liberty, equality, and fraternity, and the principles of popular sovereignty and natural rights, profoundly influenced the character of the newly formed societies in both France and America.
The influence of the Enlightenment was pivotal in these revolutionary movements, as it provided the ideological basis for challenging the existing regimes and envisioning a more just and equitable political order.