Constitutions as Outcomes: From 1689 to 1918

Revolutions end in constitutions, and comparing them reveals each revolution's priorities. The 1689 Bill of Rights limited a monarch without creating a written constitution. The US Constitution of 1787 created a federal republic with separated powers and, after 1791, a Bill of Rights. France's 1791 constitution created a constitutional monarchy, the 1793 constitution was never applied, and the Directory and Napoleon replaced it within a decade. Haiti's 1805 constitution abolished slavery and created an empire.

Gran Colombia's 1821 constitution created a centralized republic, while Mexico's 1824 constitution was federal. Soviet Russia's 1918 constitution created a state of soviets under a dictatorship of the proletariat. The durability of these constitutions varied greatly. Historians suggest that constitutions last longer when they reflect a broad settlement among powerful groups, rather than when they are imposed by one faction during a crisis.