A Pitiful Attempt at Summary

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A Pitiful Attempt at Summary Comparison
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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

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Geography

• The US a colonial revolution
• Restricted to North America (Canada remains
  loyal)
• Doesnt 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)

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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

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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

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Degree of violence

• US revolution itself not so violent
• But lengthy war (1775-83) to secure independence
• Russia Iran extensive violence coercion
• Coercive repression of opposition in both cases
• Civil war in both cases
• Russia Reds vs. Whites (1918-21)
• Iran Left vs. Islamists (1979-81)
• Wars with neighboring states (Poland Iraq)
• Violence central to consolidation of regime
• Ultimately more violence coercion in Russia
• No Iranian equivalent of Stalinist terror

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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

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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

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Intl 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

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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 dont regulate Com. Party
• Constitutions as ideological instruments
• Iran similar to Russia
• Shah ignores 1906 constitution almost entirely
• Const. of IRI eclipsed by Khomeinis charisma
• Greater concentration of power in Faqih

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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 govt 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 federalism seems not to have been an issue
• Regime under Shah was highly centralized
  (autocracy)
• Govt remains centralized under Khomeini

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And Most Important

• Dance, Dance, Dance
• (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)