From the Haitian revolution to Che Guevara’s failed African revolt, these are 3 Forgotten revolutions.


3) The Haitian Revolution:

Haitian_Revolution

1791. The French colonial rulers are overthrown in what is now Haiti. 30 thousand white people are completely overrun by a 465 thousand strong slave rebellion. The French government then decided to send an expedition to strike down the revolutionaries. The expedition troops were swiftly destroyed, the majority of them being killed. 12 years later the revolution was declared a success. And the Rupublic of Haiti was formed. In return for official state recognition, the French government demanded that Haiti payed them 150 million gold francs as reperations. Haiti didn’t finish repaying that debt until 1947.

The personification of the massacre of whites

The personification of the massacre of whites

During the Revolution, between 3 and 5 thousand white people were massacred. Those massacred inculed women, children, and people who supported the revolution.

Further reading


2) The Peasants’ Revolt:

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The peasants’ revolt was a huge failed revolution across England. The revolt was sparked by a tax imposed on  the poor in 1381. As this was just after the black death had ravaged Europe, the poor people simply couldn’t afford to pay the tax, so they decided to rise up against their masters. A violent battle happened in a town called Brentwood and spread to other areas in England. Rebels wanted an end to the English surfdom system as it would mean their freedom. Most English soldiers were either in the North or in Europe, so the rebels were pretty much free to do what they wanted in southern England. On June 13, the rebels reached London. They immediately started destroying palaces and burning official records. They killed anyone they could find who was associated with the English crown. One days later, the king agreed to abolish the surfdom. But this wasn’t enough to stop the revolution yet. They entered the tower of London and killed the Lord Chancellor and the Lord High Treasurer.

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The next day, King Richard fled London to meet with the rebel leaders. A fight broke out and the kings soldiers ended up killing a rebel leader. This stalled them long enough for the mayor of London to gather enough troops to defeat the rebels within the city. King Richard immediately resurrected the feudal system and put together a force of 4,000 men to destroy the revolution.

Further reading


1) The Albanian Revolt Of 1912:

1913_Ottoman_coup_d'état

The Albanian revolt of 1912 was the last in a series of rebellions against the Ottoman empire. It all started when the Ottoman government increased taxes for Albanians. Large numbers of Albanian soldiers and officers abandoned the Ottoman army after being called upon by the rebels. The conflict lasted from January until September 1912. On the 4th of September, the Ottoman government agreed to the Rebels’ demands. One of the demands was a suspension of taxes for 2 years. Another was that some government officials who spoke Albanian would be appointed.

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The success of the revolt put on show the complete weakness of the Ottoman empire. The empire collapsed just years later after getting rekd in the first world war.

Further reading


 

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