The social revolution is a radical, quick and violent change in the social structure, as well as the basic value systems that exist in society. The revolution is one of the ways to modernize the existing society, which is in a transitional stage.
At various historical periods, the geography of the revolutionary process expanded. Bourgeois revolutions in Europe spread in the following sequence: Holland - 1566-1609; England - 1640-1660; France - 1789-1794 years. In the XIX century, the number of revolutions increased, and they spread over large territories.
The social revolution arises as a result of a difficult crisis, due to which a similar situation is created. As a rule, the critical point comes as a result of defeats in hostilities, the unsuccessful political activity of the government, which causes discontent among wide sections of society.
England before the revolution was experiencing a severe financial crisis. The social situation was characterized by the mass persecution of the Puritans, who opposed absolutism and fought for bourgeois transformations in order to create a new church, which was to become independent from the power of the monarchs. But the camp of the opposition was not united and united. Among the Puritans during the revolution, three trends stood out: the Presbyterian (big bourgeoisie); independents (middle and small nobility, middle layers of the bourgeoisie); levellers (the poorest peasantry and the proletariat).
The Presbyterian movement put forward demands to limit royal arbitrariness and establish a constitutional monarchy. They seized the leading positions and held them between 1640 and 1648, with the transition from the peaceful development of the revolution to civil war.
Independents, led by Cromwell, fought for the recognition of the rights and freedoms of subjects, for the abolition of the centralization of the church and the creation of local religious communities. The result of revolutionary action was the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Republic (1649-1653).
Levellers put forward the ideas of popular sovereignty, equality, inviolability of private property, as well as the proclamation of a republic. They failed to seize power, but some points of their program were adopted by the new government.
The social revolution in France was due to the misery that prevailed before it began in 1789. The state treasury was empty due to the numerous expenses of the yard; stagnation was observed in the sphere of industry and trade. Moreover, 1789 is the time of the onset of famine due to a lean year. Therefore, on July 14, 1789, the people of France rose to the struggle, which put an end to the existence of an absolute monarchy.
The Jacobin radicals seized power from the Constituent Assembly in the hope of building a state of virtue and justice. At this time, the Constitution was adopted, characterized by the democratic nature of its norms. The radical movement created a society of equality. To achieve the goal, they resorted to even the most stringent measures: terror, repression, forced loans from the rich, the establishment of solid prices for goods, and the maximum wage level. The Convention, which replaced the Jacobin system, abolished many of the decrees of the previous government, once again establishing social inequality.
Revolutions in Europe developed as follows: from republican rule to a military dictatorship, and from it to the restoration of the monarchy. So, in England it happened in 1660, in France - in 1814-1815.
Thus, the social revolution in England led to the loss of royal power by its royal authority, and in France, despite the preservation of its leading role, to the overthrow of absolutism.