• Unit 1: What is Revolution?

    How do we define revolution? Historians have debated the definition since the great political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Most scholars agree that dramatic transformations of political systems of a nation, often accompanied by violence, qualify as a revolution, but few agree about the fundamental factors that cause revolutions. In this unit, we examine various types of revolutions and evaluate theoretical models that seek to explain the cause and consequence of revolution. We consider how to use these theoretical models to help make sense of history and how they sometimes hinder understanding.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • explain different meanings of the word revolution;
      • analyze various types of revolutionary change; and
      • evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of four important theoretical models which historians use to interpret revolutions.

    • 1.1: Types of Revolution

      • University of Florida: Robert H. Hatch's "The Scientific Revolution: Definition, Concept, and History" URL
        This course and the previous lecture focus primarily on political revolutions, but it is important to be aware that there are other types of revolutionary change. There was, for example, the "Scientific Revolution", the "Industrial Revolution", the so-called "Revolt against Positivism", in Europe's arts and philosophy at the end of the nineteenth century, and we are now in the midst of what many call the "Environmental Revolution", or intensified efforts to make economic growth sustainable. Read this text, focusing on any similarities you perceive between political and scientific revolutionary change.
      • Yale University: John Merriman's "Industrial Revolutions" URL

        Watch this lecture. Focus on the ways in which the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of various social groups throughout Europe. Why do you think Merriman uses the plural concept of "revolutions" rather than a single "revolution" to characterize this period? Write a brief paragraph to answer this question.

      • Theories of Revolution Page

        Watch the introduction to this lecture, to the 5-minute mark, and then watch from 24:00–34:00. Thomas O'Brien distinguishes between spontaneous uprisings, rebellions inspired by a new vision of society, and military coups. What are the most important distinctions between these three types of revolutionary change?

      • Steven Kreis' "The Revolt Against the Western Intellectual Tradition: Friedrich Nietzsche and the Birth of Modernism" URL

        Read this article. What were the most important characteristics of the late nineteenth-century rebellion against the established traditions and conventions of Western thought? Do you think it useful to compare intellectual and political moments of revolutionary change? Why, or why not?

    • 1.2: Theory and History: Influential Analytic Models for Interpreting Revolutionary Change

      • Theories of History Page

        Watch the second part of this lecture, from 34:00 to the end, and focus on understanding the competing analytical models historians have used to explain revolutionary change. Thomas O'Brien discusses several models which make connections between revolutions and the following factors: Marxist theory, political centralization, modernization, intellectuals, and the international context. As you listen to the lecture, make sure you can discuss each of these, and identify the most important theorist associated with each approach. More broadly, consider the following questions: what are the advantages of building conceptual models to characterize revolutions? What are the drawbacks of using conceptual models to understand history?

    • 1.3: Evaluating Competing Analyses of Revolutionary Change

      • Arya Rejaee's "Arendt's On Revolution and Its Implications for Political Science" URL

        Read this article. Rejaee presents a short review of political theorist Hannah Arendt's book On Revolution. In this book, Arendt argues that political revolutions are a necessary part of fostering liberty and a sense of freedom and equality in modern societies. Rajaee critiques Arendt's ideas and asserts that she fails to account for non-altruistic motivations in her arguments about the origins and causes of revolutions. What do you think are the most important factors that motivate individuals to participate in revolutionary events?

      • The New York Review of Books: Timothy Garton Ash's "Velvet Revolution, The Prospects" URL

        Read this article, focusing on the similarities and differences between violent and nonviolent revolutions. What definitions of revolutions do you find in this article? How do these compare to the definitions provided by O'Brien?

    • Unit 1 Assessment

      • Unit 1 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.