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Volume I offers an introduction to the Enlightenment, which served as the shared background for virtually all revolutionary turmoil, and the American Revolution, which inaugurated the Age of Revolutions. Beginning with a thorough introduction, the volume covers international rivalry, the importance of slavery, and the reformist mind-set that prevailed on the eve of the revolutionary era. It addresses the traditional argument on whether the Enlightenment truly caused revolutions, concluding that the reverse is more apt: revolutions helped create the Enlightenment as a body of thought. The volume continues with a regional and thematic assessment of the American Revolution, revealing how numerous groups in British America - including Black and indigenous people - pursued their own agendas and faced interests at odds with the principles of the revolution.

Volume II delves into the revolutions of France, Europe, and Haiti, with particular focus on the French Revolution and the changes it wrought. The demarcation between property and power, and the changes in family life, religious practices, and socio-economic relations are explored, as well as the preoccupation with violence and terror, both of which were conspicuous aspects of the revolution. Simultaneous movements in England, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, and Poland-Lithuania are also discussed. The volume ends with the Haitian Revolution and its impact on neighboring countries, revealing how the revolution was comprised of several smaller revolutions, and how, once the independent black State of Haiti was established, an effort was made to fulfill the promises of freedom and equality.