Blog 8

Blog 8

                Political violence represents dissatisfaction with the current political system and often results in the loss of life and resources. This is due to the nature of the definition of political violence, which includes the use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals (Hawkins). A revolution is a specific type of political violence that is defined as “a civil war in which one party is the state, the insurgents win, the insurgents have a lot of popular support, and the insurgents implement ‘wholesale political change’” (Hawkins). The French Revolution fits the definition of political violence with the number of deaths that resulted from it, but it also more specifically fits the definition of a revolution as its title suggests.

                The state in the case of the French Revolution was the absolute monarchy under King Louis XVI. The insurgents were the people, the bourgeoisie, who were motivated by the financial crisis of the time. The book would describe this as a result of individual psychology with varying motivations including poverty and the need to virtuously defy a bad regime. The insurgents had popular support as shown by the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The book also mentions that a revolution requires the transfer of power from the state to the insurgents (Samuels). Much power was transferred to the insurgents with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the abolition of feudalism, and the introduction of equality and the right to resist (Encyclopedia). A further symbol of the transfer of power was the formal execution of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette for treason.

                The real trick to this definition comes with the idea of “wholesale change”. In this definition, wholesale refers to large scale change. This holds true with the example of the French Revolution. At first they formed the National Constituent Assembly, which tried to share power between the king and the assembly. Their biggest change was making over half the male population eligible to vote and participate in the political process. In 1792 the National Convention abolished the monarchy and established a republic (Encyclopedia). This dispersed in 1795 and was replaced by the Directory. Conflict and change in the government would continue till Bonaparte abolished the Directory and became the leader of France. This change from a monarchy, to a republic, and then to an empire qualifies as large scale political change.

                The French Revolution is a good example of the definition of a revolution because of its violent and drastic change of politics. One benefit to this definition could be clarifying how long the political change needs to last to significantly count as a revolution. In the example of France, their political system changed many times, but we don’t often refer to each change as its own revolution. Instead, we clump them all together because it’s the final outcome that we care about. When a revolution ends is tricky to define, but I think it could be valuable to the definition as well because it clarifies what the outcome is. I think a revolution concludes when there is peace and violence is no longer prevalently used to reach political goals.

                The French Revolution is a revolution because power shifted from the state to the insurgents and created wholesale political change. This term actually clumps several of what could be thought as revolutions together because a revolution ends when relative peace and stability returns. The outcome of the revolution is what matters and is critical to the definition.

Works Cited:

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. New York: Cambridge Press, 2012.

Hawkins, Kirk. “Class Lecture”, Plsci 150. BYU 11/5

"French Revolution (1787-99)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/219315/French-Revolution>.