20 th Century Revolutions Compare and Contrast Mexico Russia China

Revolutions A revolution is any fundamental change in the social or political aspects of a state. Most revolutions are political, occurring when the citizens of a country try to oust the existing government and replace it with a new one. Political revolutions tend to be violent events. There is no clear-cut explanation as to why people revolt, but scholars believe that some or all of the following factors lead to revolution:

Factors (Causes) Injustice: If the under-classes feel that they are being treated unjustly, they will revolt. Relative deprivation: revolutions occur after a period of good times has ended. The citizens begin to expect a higher quality of life and feel cheated when they perceive a stagnation or decline in the quality of their lives. State of the government: Revolutions are more likely to happen in countries with corrupt governments. If citizens believe in the efficacy of their government, then revolution is unlikely. But if a regime appears to exist solely to enrich the rulers, then revolution is more likely. The military: As the strongest power in most states, the military frequently determines whether a revolution will occur and be successful. If the military backs the government, then revolution is unlikely. A turning point in many revolutions occurs when soldiers decide to stop obeying the government and decide to fight alongside the revolutionaries.

China 20 th -21 st Centuries Kaplan Pages ; 242; Textbook Pages Key facts / ideas to focus on: - Sun Yat-sen -Mao Zedong -Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) -May 4th Movement the “Long March” -Chinese Communist Party (CCP) -Great Leap Forward Cultural Revolution - Gang of Four Deng Xiaoping -Tiananmen Square -Four Modernizations - 3 Gorges Dam

Mexico 20 th – 21 st Century Kaplan pages: 241 Textbook pages: , Key facts/ideas to focus on: - Porfirio Diaz -“Pancho” Villa -Venustiano Carranza - Emiliano Zapata -PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) -continued caudillo hegemony - U.S. & European “dollar diplomacy” - economic “miracle” (oil industry) in 1980s - NAFTA & reaction - Vicente Fox (PAN)

Russia 20 th -21 st century Kaplan pages: 239; 243 Textbook pages: ; Key facts/ideas to focus on: - Czar Nicholas II; Alexander Kerensky - Bolsheviks ; Red Army - Vladimir Lenin; Leon Trotsky; New Economic Policy - Joseph Stalin 5-year Plan - collectivization of farms - military purges; role of police - E Europe “satellites” Berlin, Khrushchev & de-Stalinization - détente - Mikhail Gorbachev ; Boris Yeltsin - Vladimir Putin