Characteristics of Revolutions

Violence and Terror The very essence of revolutions Acts of violence include assassination, murder, sabotage and property destruction. Role of the military is paramount Historians often define revolutions in terms of violence – They are events where physical force has actually been used successfully to overthrow a government or regime. Revolutions use violence to achieve their goals of undermining the government regime, destroying opposition forces and striking fear and hence compliance into the civilian population. Victtims of the red terror Guns and bombs are still the most common tools. No revolution could possibly succeed without the support or active participation of the military in the overthrowing of the government. (WHY?)

Leadership Revolutions don’t usually have hero’s! A majority of revolutions are spontaneous and popular outbreaks that occur with very little planning and leadership. The popular image of the hero leading the masses is often a myth – usually created by the new revolutionary government as a form of Propaganda. (WHY?) Danton & Jean Paul Marat

Leadership “It would be truer to say that the revolutionaries had been created by the revolution” William Doyle - 1980 BUT – Few historians would discount the role of leaders in shaping the course of the revolution and its outcomes. Trotsky

Ideology Revolutionaries use ideology to spell out to the masses their hopes and dreams of a new society. 1. The ideology always contains the solution to the societies problems

Important features of the ideology Harness ideas like nationalism, patriotism or liberty Used as a form of propaganda Directed towards morals and emotions Distort/ exaggerate the truth Use slogans and symbols Form of social control – manipulate the minds of the people. Key Question: - Are ideologies merely used to gain power and are they too unrealistic in their hopes and dreams?

Organisation Organisation is the thing that links ideology, leadership and action. Lenin once wrote that organisation is the most effective weapon of the revolutionary classes. 1. Although many rev’s occur spontaneously, the ability of the revolutionaries to harness the energies of the people is largely dependant on their capacity to organise themselves into effective agents of change.

Revolutionary organisations Political Usually in the form of political clubs, societies and associations Military Needed to fight the battles Popular Spontaneous and unanticipated social groups thrown up by the revolution. Political organisations are usually small, elite and usually dominated by career or professional revolutionaries. They are tightly controlled and well disciplined. Little tolerance for the minority views and are single minded in their determination to achieve their goal. They have a general belief that “the end justifies the means.” Most commonly these organisations are small, well structured forces that employ guerrilla tactics. Some, however can be very large with a detailed chain of command but not often. These are generally the people’s response to the turmoil. They can be clubs, corporations, communes, councils, workers unions and soviets. They usually take the professional revolutionaries by surprise, and while some work as an important link between the professionals and the general population, others are destroyed by the revolutionaries as a potential threat to the success of the revolution.

International influence Revolutions do not occur in isolation. They are influenced and in turn, influence the international context in which they occur. 1. In most situations, revolutions desire foreign support either military or diplomatic to topple the existing regime.

Models of revolutions Revolutions have a life cycle. They start with various phases that increase in the desire for radical change until they reach a pinnacle of intensity. This is followed by a phase of disillusionment. Finally there is the restoration of stability and order. Crane Brinton’s model

Models of revolutions 1. Disestablishment (breakdown of the established regime) 2. Innovation (new ideas implemented through new institutions) 3. Compromise (adapting the new institutions to the necessities of the times) J.H.Stewart

Models of Revolutions Revolution Slave society Feudal society Capitalist society Socialist society Communist society Marx Revolution

Modern model of revolutions This one is too hard to draw… SO… stick the sheet provided into your books! Page 10 - The spirit of Change France in Revolution

Causes of revolutions There is not one single answer. “Governments are not overthrown, they simply fall under the burden of their own advanced decay.” Fielding Why do they occur? Some say: Long term repression It is because people experience a period of improvement and then a sudden recession breakdown of consensus in the government. A revolution is only possible where the authority of the main political body is disintegrating. But this gives us no real answer at all to the question. So we need a more structured approach.

A more structured approach! Preconditions Economic Psychological Political Social Precipitants Historical accidents Specific events Special operations Social: - poverty and class struggle Economic:- downturn Political:- Colonisation, imperialism, corruption, inefficiency, division of ruling class Psychological:- Alienation, discontent Historical accidents – death by natural causes Special operations – Terrorist activity, guerrilla warfare Specific events – War, invasion, mutiny, general strike.

Revolution

Short answer questions 1) Why is the role of the military so important in a revolution? 2) How important is ideology in the success of a revolution? What methods are used by revolutionaries to communicate ideology to the masses? 3) Explain the 2 types of causes of revolutions.

Definitions Make a list of the following definitions in a glossary. Revolution Ideology Rebellion Pragmatic Revolt Coup d’Etat Riot Despot Insurrection Institution

Research – Extended response According to Marx, when and why do revolutions occur? How useful is this theory?