1. A Pitiful Attempt at Summary & Comparison

2. Review: Criteria for Comparison
Geography
Character of old regime
Social scope of revolutions
Degree of violence & coercion
Private property
Religion
International & universal pretensions
Role of constitutions
Centralization & federalism

3. Geography The US: a colonial revolution
Restricted to North America (Canada remains loyal)
Doesn’t really affect the monarchy in Britain
Westward expansion extends the revolution
Russia: affects all of the Russian Empire
Regime is overthrown, not just rejected from afar
USSR reconstructs most of old Russian Empire
Iran: revolution affects entire country
Here, too: old regime is destroyed
Borders remain the same (despite Iraqi attack)

4. Nature of Old Regime American colonies – a constitutional monarchy
Monarchy limited by Parliament, laws & liberty
This was basis for colonists to challenge British rule
New notions popular sovereignty as result
Russia & Iran = autocracies
Both had constitutions by 1906, but not respected
In fact: unlimited, self-derived power for Tsar & Shah
Russia & Iran were both traditionalist & modernizing
Both faced challenges of “autocratic modernization”
Both regimes replaced by something very different
But authoritarianism remains strong for both

5. Social Scope of Revolutions
American revolution was not a social revolution
But: ties of dependence & patronage were broken
Am Rev = radical in 18th-century way
Russian revolution = full-scale social revolution
Liquidation & repression of bourgeoisie
Idea of the “Dictatorship of the Proletariat”
Social order fundamentally transformed by 1930s
Iran – more ambiguous
Many of wealthy westernized elite = forced to flee
But social landscape not radically transformed

6. Degree of violence US – revolution itself = not so violent
But lengthy war ( ) to secure independence
Russia & Iran – extensive violence & coercion
Coercive repression of opposition in both cases
Civil war in both cases
Russia: Reds vs. Whites ( )
Iran – Left vs. Islamists ( )
Wars with neighboring states (Poland & Iraq)
Violence = central to consolidation of regime
Ultimately: more violence & coercion in Russia
No Iranian equivalent of Stalinist terror

7. Revolutions & Private Property
Defense of property = important for Am Rev
“Pursuit of happiness” (not property), but still…
No taxation without representation
Russian Rev = directed against private property
Socialism as absence / elimination of private property
Expropriation of bourgeoisie (Const. 1918)
Abolition of private land ownership (Const. 1918)
Iran – more ambiguous
Some Islamists influenced by Marxism
But regime does not really attack private property

8. Attitudes towards Religion
Am Rev – largely secular, but not hostile to religion
Limitations on role of religion (esp. at federal level)
But some notion of God is present
Soviet Rev – absolutely hostile to religion
Marx: religion = “opiate of the masses”
Anti-religious campaigns, confiscation, etc.
Iran – religion (Islam) is core of the revolution
True: diverse ideological coalition topples Shah
But all opposition recognizes Islam, supports Khomeini
Islamists eventually prevail over secular Left

9. Int’l & Universal Pretensions
US – idea that America will be model for others
Universalistic language (“all men,” etc.)
But no real effort to “export” revolution
Russia – 1917 as beginning of world revolution
Supposition is that revolution will spread
Marxist conception of universal stages of history
Comintern & war w/ Poland as attempts to “export”
Iran – universal implications for Muslim world
Const. refers to “a single world community”
Iranian counterattack goes into Iraq in 1982

10. Role of Constitutions US – constitution is central
Importance of law for British political culture
Russia – instrumental view of law / constitutions
Tsar grants FL only when compelled
Soviet constitutions don’t regulate Com. Party
Constitutions as ideological instruments
Iran – similar to Russia
Shah ignores 1906 constitution almost entirely
Const. of IRI eclipsed by Khomeini’s charisma
Greater concentration of power in Faqih

11. Centralization & Federalism
US – separate colonies form the “united states”
Weak confederation under the Articles (1781)
Genuine federalism under Const. of 1787
Powers not given to fed gov’t are left to the states
USSR – Pseudo-federalism
Russian empire as centralized (autocracy)
USSR: ethnically defined national republics (federation)
Com. Party remains highly centralized (thus “pseudo”)
Iran – resistance to federalism
Regime under Shah was highly centralized (autocracy)
Gov’t remains centralized under Khomeini (Kurds)