Revolution is a fundamental change in the character of a nation’s government, political system, or way of life. Political revolutions can lead to the overthrow of a nation’s leaders, the formation of a new kind of government, or even the establishment of a new nation. Revolutions may also occur in other areas, such as cultural, economic, and social activities. Revolutionary changes may be achieved through violent or nonviolent means. People who work to replace an old system with a new one are often called revolutionaries or revolutionists.
A revolution may dramatically change various ways of life in a country. For example, the Russian Revolution of 1917 not only deposed the czar but also began major social changes, such as the elimination of private property. The Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783) changed a political system without causing basic social changes.
Many revolutions involve citizen uprisings. Others occur after a legal transfer of power within the existing system. For example, Adolf Hitler took power as dictator of Germany after the country’s president had appointed him chancellor. Some movements that appear to be revolutions only change a country’s rulers, without making major changes in political systems. Political scientists call such movements rebellions rather than revolutions.
Features of revolution.
Many revolutions involve rioting, widespread violence, and guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare includes ambushes, assassinations, sabotage, and other terrorist methods. But revolutionary changes may also result from nonviolent acts, such as protests, demonstrations, and civil disobedience (the refusal to obey certain laws). Many people in India, led by Mohandas K. Gandhi, used various nonviolent methods to free themselves from British rule. India became independent in 1947.
Political revolutions have sometimes led to wars between nations. Some countries have used military force to try to overturn another country’s revolution, or to prevent the revolution from spreading to other countries. After the Russian Revolution, for example, the United States and the United Kingdom backed a war against Russia’s new Communist government. Other countries have waged war to take advantage of instability caused by a revolution in another country. For instance, Iraq invaded Iran following Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.
Some of history’s most widespread revolutions did not have political beginnings. The Industrial Revolution of the 1700’s and early 1800’s was a period of rapid industrialization that changed the basic nature of Western society from rural to urban (see Industrial Revolution). Technological advances since the late 1800’s—such as the telephone and the computer—have also caused revolutions in industry and everyday life.
Causes of revolution.
Most political revolutions occur because of widespread dissatisfaction with an existing system. Poverty and injustice under cruel, corrupt, or incapable rulers may contribute to revolution. But in most cases, social problems alone do not cause revolutions. Revolutions need leaders who can use unsatisfactory conditions to unite people under a program that promises improvements.
Many revolutions occur after rulers begin to lose confidence in themselves and yield to various demands from their rivals. Such compromises by rulers, or rapidly improving social conditions, create a revolution of rising expectations as people begin to hope for a better life. If changes do not meet their expectations, the people lose faith in their rulers and start listening to revolutionaries. The French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian Revolution both began after the rulers agreed to the people’s demands for representative assemblies.
