Hey /his/ I'm struggling with how I should answer this question, and was hoping to get some of your thoughts on what you think it's asking for. It's for a 5000 word undergrad essay.
'Was the American Revolution really a revolution? Discuss in relations to the theories of Arendt and ----'
I've started to plan the essay around the consequences of the revolution, and evaluating the impact of it. But I think I'm reading the question wrong.
Am I right in thinking it's more of a discussion of what constitutes a revolution and discussing what features of the American Revolution fit in with the definitions?
>>835307
It sounds more like it's the second interpretation.
>>835307
Arendt and whom else?
You should read Arendt's theory of revolution, and —'s theory, and contrast them based on evidence from history.
>>835370
Neil Davidson, referring almost certainly to his book 'How Revolutinary were the Bourgeois Revolutions?'
And yeah that's exactly what I thought anon, thanks
>>835363
Just as I thought. Christ. It's not exactly a harder question I guess but it's thrown me a bit, especially as I have pretty limited time to write it.
I know it's pathetic asking for homework help here so I appreciate the responses
>>835400
Urgh. Two non-specific "grand panoramas."
And you have to put up with Arendt's waffle too.
>>835487
Doesn't make for great reading no. Feel sorry for you for also being familiar with Davidson
>>835497
Trying to save Tony Cliff and Lenin is a bit of a waste of time, particularly with regards to the bourgeois/capitalist differentiation.
>>835307
I recommend you ask your professor before 4chan ruins your paper.
You may even get extra time to do it if not insight into what the Professor thinks the right answer is.
Trust me, overachieve and pester the person who gave you the assignment, that's what you are paying them for.
>>836537
>Trust me, overachieve and pester the person who gave you the assignment, that's what you are paying them for.
If the student asked this of me, I'd tell them to reread the question and refer them to the study skills unit.
Breaking down the question is part of answering the question.
It was a war of independence and not a revolution, they didn't depose the king in London.
>>836563
Nor did they really revolutionize much, as they borrowed a good deal from their mother country in terms of governance.
>>836563
>>836581
Except Tories were decisively replaced with Whigs, the crown's intervention into the state was permanently disrupted, the economy was bourgeoisified and the demands of Boston for untrammelled capitalist relations were in the whole granted and continued to be granted.
Yeah, nothing like a revolution at all compared to the planters' squatocracy that preceded it with its Jamaican model.
>>836544
And you contend the professor is not a resource for the purposes of breaking down the question.
Please, for your student's sake, participate in their education. You cannot believe a teacher's job ends when the student questions that teacher's presentation or asks for context.
I will concede, if they only say 'I don't understand' without providing at least some evidence they have tried, yes then you may refuse them as shirkers.
However OP has provided evidence they have contemplated possible variations for interpretation and meaningful discussion with the professor which only the professor may authoritatively resolve.
>>836672
>You cannot believe a teacher's job ends
I'm not a teacher, mate, I'm a lecturer. I lecture and conduct tutorials. At University you teach yourself in front of other people.
>>>study skills unit
>However OP has provided evidence they have contemplated possible variations for interpretation and meaningful discussion with the professor which only the professor may authoritatively resolve.
Authorial fallacy? Are you fucking kidding me? Please tell me you're in first year.
>>836537
I'm not asking 4chan to write my paper, just wanted confirmation I was thinking correctly. Appreciate your concerns though and if I had the time to, I definitely would have consulted my lecturer first. As it stands there's no way I can see him before the deadline, my fault of course.
>>836697
I'm second year, and I've had trouble dealing with my lack of ability to focus all my life but it's only really become a problem now. I'm trying my hardest not to fuck up though and get through this year.
>>835370
I think this anon answered my question pretty well, and this is how I'll be approaching the essay
>>836727
>I'm second year, and I've had trouble dealing with my lack of ability to focus all my life but it's only really become a problem now.
Start getting counselling help for this now through your University. It will improve your results and your life. If you have a medical disability, find that out and register it (they can't discriminate lawfully against the disabled).
Bringing your thoughts to /his/ is better than begging your academic. Better still is to get a crew of friends IRL you discuss history with.
I haven't studied Arendt, but the American war of independence was a revolution. It was the first colony that developed a unique colonial culture that saw itself as being oppressed.
The trajectory the revolution took after the wars conclusion is meaningless, because the new american culture is completely different than the culture of the Europe. It's why the americans can support liberalism abroad, free elections etc, while the american people themselves are counter revolutionary, continually turning back on progressive changes nullifying their power over and over.
>>836763
Neither Arendt nor the Swoppie trot have a culturalist conception of revolution. For Arendt the development of the social is pretty important.
It wasn't a revolution because it didn't topple the social order, in effect absolutely nothing changed in American society. It was American elites gaining independence from foreign elites.
>>836749
I keep telling myself I will, but I keep putting off, that alone tells me I probably have ADD or something. I have a pair of shoes I bought in late Jan I need to send back - I didn't return them within the 28 days I bought them because I never got round to it, and I emailed the store asking if I could get an extension to which they agreed to, but here I am, in the middle of March, with the shoes still boxed on top of my cupboard.
/endblogpost
But I don't see anything wrong with seeing the lecturers when you have problems with your course, it's what they expect - at least that's what my lecturers are like. It's when you don't go to lectures, hand in work late, and go see them about problems when you don't even look at the material, is when you're taking the piss.
>>836798
Still getting through Davidson but from what I've read he's made a distinction between classical concepts of revolution, where it was seen as almost a cyclical event, to a concept revolving around class struggle
