What is a Revolution?

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What is a Revolution?
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Revolution

• A drastic, sudden substitution of one group in
  charge of a territorial political entity by
  another group hitherto not running that
  government.
• (Crane Brinton,The Anatomy of Revolution, p. 4)

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Crane Brintons Anatomy of a Revolution

• He borrowed his terms from pathology.
• Compares a revolution to a disease.

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FEVER MODEL OF REVOLUTION
Much like an illness, revolutions can also be
studied in stages
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This stage in an illness is when the cause of the
sickness first comes into contact with the
individual, infecting them, but not yet causing
any symptoms to present themselves. What would
this stage be like in a revolution?
In a revolution, this stage would involve the
political, social, intellectual, or economic
causes. In some cases, these causes could fester
for many years before showing themselves in the
form of actual revolutionary action.
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Sickness? affects person in observable ways? Temp
may rise cough might present individual might
become weak queasy. What would this stage be
like in a revolution?
1st part to involve direct action resulting from
social, political, intellectual, or economic
causes of incubation stage. Might involve the
publication of works calling for a change, street
level riots by common people, or more direct
attempts at changing society.
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Make or break part of struggle. May involve
conflict where sides for against revolution
compete. (could take the form of debate or
full-scale war) Successful revolutions survive
this stage- those that dont are failed
rebellions.
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Recovery from illness. Individual might be
weakened from experience, but he or she will
eventually emerge healthy w/ new knowledge
experience that might prevent illness from
occurring again. What would this stage be like
in a revolution?
Recovery from the extreme disruptions of crisis
stage. Political, social, intellectual, or
economic causes of revolution must be addressed
in some way, though not necessarily to
satisfaction of all revolutionaries.
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Conditions Present Before a Revolution Takes Place

1. People from all social classes are discontented.
2. People feel restless held down by unacceptable
   restrictions in society, religion, the economy
   or govt
3. People are hopeful about the future, but are
   being forced to accept less than they had hoped
   for
4. People are beginning to think of themselves as
   belonging to a social class, there is
   bitterness b/t social classes
5. Social classes closest to each other are the most
   hostile

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Conditions Present Before a Revolution Takes Place

1. Scholars thinkers give up on the way their
   society operates
2. Govt does not respond to needs of its society
3. Leaders of govt ruling class begin to doubt
   themselves? some join w/ opposition groups
4. Govt is unable to get enough support from any
   group to save itself.
5. Govt cannot organize its finances correctly is
   either going bankrupt or trying to tax heavily
   unjustly.

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The Course that Revolutions Seem to Take

1. Impossible demands made of government which, if
   granted, would mean its end
2. Unsuccessful govt attempts to suppress
   revolutionaries
3. Revolutionaries gain power seem united
4. Once in power, revolutionaries begin to quarrel
   among themselves, unity begins to dissolves
5. Moderates gain the leadership but fail to satisfy
   those who insist on further changes

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The Course that Revolutions Seem to Take

• Power is gained by progressively more radical
  groups until finally a lunatic fringe gains
  almost complete control
• Strong man emerges assumes great power
• Extremists try to create a heaven-on-earth by
  introducing their whole program punishing all
  of their opponents
• Period of terror or extreme violence occurs
• Moderate groups regain power.
• THE REVOLUTION IS OVER!!!!

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The French Revolution

• Application of the Fever Model

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Causes - Incubation

• Social Inequality - three estates
• Three estates
• First Estate (upper clergy) - 1 of population,
  taxed peasants
• Second Estate (nobles) - 2-3 of population, paid
  no taxes, taxed peasants
• Third Estate (Bourgeoisie, peasants, workers) -
  paid up to 1/2 of income in taxes

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Causes - Incubation

• Enlightenment Ideas/American Rev.
• Belief all men should have liberal freedoms
• Right and just to remove unjust govt
• Equality for all
• United States Dec. of Independence and
  Constitution

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Causes - Incubation

• King Louis XVI
• Weak leader
• Preferred personal interests, delegated authority
• Incapable of decisive action

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Causes - Incubation

• Economic Crisis
• French economy bankrupt
• Wars, Louis XVI lifestyle
• Nobles not taxed
• Crop failures
• Debt - 1/2 budget goes to interest
• Bourgeoisie begin questioning King

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Moderate Stage - Symptoms

• Estates General called, Third Estate demands
  reform - resisted by others

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Moderate Stage - Symptoms

• National Assembly declared (June 20, 1789)

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Moderate Stage - Symptoms

• Bastille stormed (July 14, 1789) in response to
  king mobilizing Swiss troops

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Moderate Stage - Symptoms

• Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
  (Aug., 1789)
• Influenced by America
• Equality of all men, sovereignty resided in the
  people, and individual rights to libery,
  prosperity, and security
• March of the Women (Oct., 1789)
• Food protests turn into march to Versailles
• King forced to move to Paris

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Moderate Stage - Symptoms

• Reforms on National Assembly
• Liberty, equality, fraternity - motto
• Dismantled feudal system
• Seized Church lands
• Abolished estates
• Creates Constitution of 1791 - limits power of
  king (constitutional monarchy)
• Men of property could vote

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Radical Stage - Crisis

• Prussian and Austrian invasion of France
• French Republic established - King dethroned, the
  Convention set up
• Large scale draft
• King tried and executed

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Radical Stage - Crisis

• Robespierre / Jacobians take control of the
  Convention
• Committee of Public Safety oversees the Reign of
  Terror (40,000 people executed, 300,000 arrested)
• Tried to eliminate influence of the church

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Moderate - Convalescence

• Convention arrests Robespierre - executes him
• The Directory takes over
• Committee of five conservative men
• Tries to find middle ground
• Military successes outside of France
• Domestically, still many problems
• Napoleon stages coup, imposes new constitution -
  declares himself first consul
• What do you think is the reaction of the French?

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