What are the top 3 revolutions in your opinion? (Excluding the Britain industrial revolution)

Question

1. Causes of the revolution - why did it happen? 
2. Course of the revolution - what happened? 
3. Consequences of the revolution - did the revolution change anything? Were they successful? 
4. Why is it in your top three? If it is number one, why did you pick it as number one?

Answer 1

In chronological order, here are three of the most important revolutions:

1: The American Revolution (1775-1783). Britain imposed exorbitant taxes on the American colonies. America rebelled against Britain to become an independent nation based on Enlightenment ideals, proving that the mighty British Empire could be beaten.

2: The French Revolution (1789-c. 1800). The people of France overthrew the monarchy and executed the king and queen, as well as thousands of alleged sympathizers. They tried to create an enlightened government, but ended up bringing disorder and terror which was only ended by a military dictator.

3: The Russian Revolution (1917-1923). This revolution came in two phases: the February Revolution, in which the people overthrew the Tsar; and the October Revolution, in which the Bolshevik (Communist) party led by Vladimir Lenin took over the government. The royal family was executed and there was a civil war that led to the creation of the USSR. (Note: due to calendar differences, the February Revolution actually happened in March and the October Revolution actually happened in November.)

Honorable mentions: Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), Russian Revolution of 1905, Xinhai Revolution (1911-1912), Cuban Revolution (1953-1959), Iranian Revolution (1978-1980). If you want to learn more about revolutions, listen to the Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan.