Revolution
A
revolution is a drastic change that usually occurs relatively quickly. This may be a change in the
social or
political institutions over a relatively short period of time, or a major change in its
culture or
economy. Some revolutions are led by the majority of the populace of a nation, others by a small band of
revolutionaries. Compare
rebellion.
The word derives from
Late Latin revolutio "a revolving," from
Latin revolvere "turn, roll back". It entered
English, from
Old French révolution, in
1390, originally only applied to
celestial bodies. Only circa
1450 was it being used to mean " [an]instance of great change in affairs"; the presently dominant political meaning is first recorded
1600, again following
French, and was especially applied to the expulsion of the
Stuart king
James II of England in
1688 and transfer of sovereignty in Britain to
William and
Mary.
Revolutionary as a
noun is first attested
1850, from the
adjective.
Political revolutions are often characterized by
violence, and vast changes in power structures that can often result in further institutionalized violence, as in the
Russian and
French revolutions (with the "Purges" and "the Terror", respectively). A
political revolution is the forcible replacement of one set of rulers with another (as happened in France and Russia), while a
social revolution is the fundamental change in the social structure of a society, such as the
Protestant Reformation or the
Renaissance. However, blurring the line between these two categories, most political revolutions wish to carry out social revolutions, and they have basic philosophical or social underpinnings which drive them. The most common revolutions with such underpinnings in the modern world have been
liberal revolutions and
communist revolutions, with the occasional
nationalist revolution. In contrast, a
coup d'état often seeks to change nothing more than the current ruler.
Some
political philosophers regard revolutions as the means of achieving their goals. Most
anarchists advocate social revolution as the means of breaking down the structures of government and replacing them with non-hierarchal institutions.
Among
Marxist communists, there is a split between those who supported the
Soviet Union and other so-called '
communist states' and those who were/are critical of those states (some even rejecting them as non-communist, see
state capitalism), for example
Trotskyists and Orthodox
Marxists.
Social and political revolutions are often "institutionalized" when the ideas, slogans, and personalities of the revolution continue to play a prominent role in a country's
political culture, long after the revolution's end. As mentioned, communist nations regularly institutionalize their revolutions to legitimise the actions of their governments. Some non-communist nations, like the
United States,
France or
Mexico also have institutionalized revolutions, and continue to celebrate the memory of their revolutionary past through holidays, artwork, songs, and other venues.
*
Renaissance*
Protestant Reformation*
Scientific revolution*
Sexual revolution*
Quiet Revolution*
Consciousness Revolution*
nonviolent revolutionThese usually lead to transformations in society, culture and philosophy.
*
Agricultural Revolution*
Digital Revolution*
Neolithic Revolution*
Price revolution*
Industrial Revolution*
Second Industrial Revolution*
List of revolutions and rebellions*
List of fictional revolutions and coups*
Anarchism*
Coup d'état*
Proletarian revolution*
Revolt*
Revolutionary wave*
EtymologyOnLine*
libcom.org libcom.org History section, containing histories of revolutionary movements throughout the world.
*
United 4 Belarus Campaign, a British website drawing attention to the political crisis in
Belarus, where a popular revolution is suspected after the
2006 presidential elections.
