Ch 02 - What causes revolutions? Flashcards
What is a common misperception about revolutions?
A common misperception is that revolutions are acts of frustration, occurring when people are extremely angry and unwilling to endure hardships anymore.
Is poverty a primary cause of revolutions?
No, while economic grievances often play a role in rebellions, poverty alone is generally not associated with revolutions. Most famines, such as the Irish potato famine, did not lead to revolutions.
Why are revolutions more likely to occur in middle-income countries than in the poorest nations?
Poor peasants and workers usually lack the means to overthrow professional military forces defending the regime. Revolutions often require the defection or neutrality of significant portions of elites, including the military.
How do elites influence the occurrence of revolutions?
Elites often mobilize the population to help overthrow regimes. Their defection or refusal to support the government is critical for revolutions to succeed.
What is relative deprivation, and how does it relate to revolutions?
Relative deprivation is the perception of inequality or dashed expectations for progress. While it can drive protests, extreme inequality often leads to resignation and despair rather than revolution.
How has modernization been linked to revolutions?
Modernization can disrupt traditional authority and increase inequality, which might lead to demands for new political regimes. However, its effects are inconsistent, sometimes strengthening authoritarian regimes or transitioning societies peacefully to democracy.
What conditions make poverty or inequality a motivation for revolution?
Poverty or inequality becomes a motivation when people believe these conditions are unjust and caused by the regime’s incompetence, corruption, or favoritism.
Why does modernization not consistently lead to revolutions?
Modernization’s effects vary by country. It may weaken regimes in some cases, strengthen them in others, or result in peaceful transitions, showing no consistent relationship to revolutions.
What role do new ideologies play in revolutions?
New ideologies can mobilize revolutionary action, but they only gain traction when shifts in elite positions create opportunities for these ideas to influence the population.
Why are ideologies alone insufficient to cause revolutions?
Rulers and elites typically enforce beliefs that justify their rule and suppress dissent. Revolutionary ideologies require a prior shift in elite positions to gain followers and produce change.
Why are poverty, inequality, modernization, or ideological change alone inadequate to explain revolutions?
These factors treat society as a passive structure that collapses under pressure, ignoring the active role of people and groups who continually reinforce the social order.
How do societies maintain stability despite crises?
Societies are resilient because rulers, elites, and popular groups engage in mutually reinforcing relationships, such as defense and services for taxes, prestige and rewards for elite support, and protection for popular obedience.
What conditions allow regimes to remain stable for centuries?
Regimes remain stable as long as elites are united and loyal, and most popular groups remain reasonably content and focused on their own lives, even during significant crises.
What keeps societies stable and resilient?
In a stable society, popular groups engage in economic activities that generate sufficient income for themselves and their families, and to pay rents and taxes that support elites and the government. Elites act as intermediaries, reinforcing existing beliefs and behavior, and supporting the rulers’ authority.
How does a stable society function?
In a stable society, elites support the rulers’ authority in exchange for rewards and recognition, while rulers protect the populace from threats like banditry and invasions. This leads to a stable equilibrium where disturbances (e.g., revolts, strikes, or crises) are suppressed to restore the existing social order.
What triggers a revolution?
A moderate or small disturbance—such as a war, economic crisis, or local rebellion—can trigger popular uprisings and elite confrontations. If many elites and popular groups unite against the rulers and the military is unable to suppress the resistance, a revolution can succeed.
What is an “unstable equilibrium”?
An unstable equilibrium occurs when a system is balanced on a peak, so a small disturbance can lead to a larger departure from the prior condition. In society, this can lead to a revolution, where minor disturbances trigger larger movements toward social change.
What is a “stable equilibrium”?
A stable equilibrium is when a system returns to its original state after a small disturbance. In society, this means that any disturbance (like a peasant revolt or economic crisis) will result in the return to the original social order, with elites and rulers suppressing the opposition.
What happens in the years leading up to a revolution?
Social relationships change. Rulers become weakened, elites become divided, and popular groups face economic distress. Many elites and popular groups become dissatisfied and drawn to new ideologies, while rulers may attempt reforms, which often increase uncertainty and opposition.
How does society shift from stable to unstable equilibrium?
Over time, the social order becomes frayed due to weakened rulers, divided elites, and unrest among popular groups. Even a small disorder can set off an accelerating movement toward greater disorder, ultimately leading to the overturning of the regime.
What is the paradox of revolution?
Revolutions are difficult to predict because societies may appear outwardly stable despite underlying changes. Small protests or discontent may be dismissed, and it is not always clear when reforms or repression will lead to greater unrest.
Can we predict when a revolution will occur?
No, despite identifying growing tensions and signs of social conflict, it is impossible to predict exactly when a revolution will happen. Similar to earthquakes, knowing the mechanisms behind revolutions doesn’t allow for precise predictions.
What are the five elements necessary for an unstable social equilibrium that can lead to revolution?
The five elements are:
1.National economic or fiscal strains
2.Growing alienation and opposition among the elites
3.Revolutionary mobilization based on popular anger at injustice
4.Bridging grievances and mobilizing diverse groups through a shared ideology
5.A weak or collapsing military that allows the revolutionaries to succeed
