Lesson 10: Success or Failure? Measuring Historical Significance

Napoleon surrenders to the British on board the HMS Bellerophon in 1815 following his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
Source: William Quiller Orchardson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Inquiry Question: How do we assess historical significance?

Assessing the Sigificance of the French RevolutionnDownload

Jumping Ahead 100 Years…

In 1911 a revolution erupted in China. For centuries, it had been ruled by dynastic monarchies and by an emperor claiming to hold a “mandate of heaven” to govern the people of China. In the decades before the Xinhai Revolution, a Chinese physician named Sun Yat-Sen (孙逸仙), penned the “Three principles of the People” (三民主义) outlining his vision for a modern China. These are outlined below;

  1. Nationalism (民族主義) – The country is a community of people, the nation. They must be united together.
  2. Democracy or rights of the people (民權主義) – The government represents the will of the people, in contrast to the dynastic rule of the Qing emperors.
  3. Welfare of the people (民生主義) – The people must be taken care of and treated justly.

Could the Revolution in China have occurred without the French Revolution over 100 years earlier? That’s the question of history.