What Do You Mean By 'Revolution'? The Cult of Revolution | Article-1

The Cult of Revolution

Article 1, Blog Series on Revolution-

BIRTH OF DEMOCRACY IN MODERN HISTORY- THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

BY- SOUMYABRATA CHAKRABORTY

Article 1-   The Cult of Revolution

(In this article- Definition of ‘Revolution’; an abstract and simple way of understanding the ‘Revolution’ and its purpose; Introduction to the French Revolution )

IMAGINE A REVOLUTION!

Storming of Bastille- 14 July 1789

Imagine your city, state or country to be undergoing a series of political, social and economical strains since years and suddenly there comes a thought to do out with it. In such a situation it leads to a protest against the state or the concerned sector. And if this struggle is a long lasting one and widespread with fully, new emerging thoughts and views about reforms and changes and the whole society is fully touched by the movement or effected directly, in such a case the movement seems to be a ‘Revolution’.

The word itself gives the listeners a spirit to bring in a drastic change within the system and views of fighting men, protesting and angry crowds come to our minds.

REVOLUTION CHANGED THE WAY ‘IT’ WAS 

 

The world’s history is full of such a series of revolutions curved out the society and system we are living in, now. May be we consider our freedom, our rights, the way we live, the way we choose the rulers, be granted, but we should definitely create our imagination and go to the European society of the 15^th or 16^th century. The European society is now ‘considered’ to be the most civilised one. There then, were men free on roads? Were all educated? Were men and women taking their own decisions? Were there no social classes? Were all equal? (though, inequality still remains) Were there no wrongs? And in such a society where everything was opposite from what we now know is, ranging from even food which was different for different men, if someone from nowhere, rises and says, why don’t we choose our own rulers? Take our own decisions? Limit the ruler’s powers? Which are surprisingly new ideas to the society and a major section of the society was tired of the present system and wanted a change but did not know what change, would get their goals and fight, certainly for a better future and implement what gives them a little more free and comfortable life and in such a situation there occurs a people’s mass struggle, a REVOLUTION.

WORLD HISTORY AND THE REVOLUTIONS THAT MADE HISTORY

 

A scene from The Russian Revolution

Our world history is full of examples of revolutions as I said earlier and for the present political system which is preferred the most, DEMOCRACY, the first and powerful thrust or boost came from the FRENCH REVOLUTION of 1789 and some years after, followed by many more, like the JULY REVOLUTION of 1830 in France; RUSSIAN REVOLUTION and many more.

Whenever the society is tired and immensely tensed of the system and cannot do any more with it, then there’s a strength full protest and anger which results in a Revolution. 

A revolution may seem to you to be mass killing, sons separated from mothers, husbands from wives, son killed in front of the father, but still, Revolution is what is necessary to go with time, to cease the tyranny of powerful, to stop the misuse of power and finally to survive in society competing with “high class”.

 

DEMOLITION OF THE MONARCHS

 

May be monarchy was the best way of governance a 1000 or 2000 years ago, but now, you need to agree, it’s not the best anymore. Now what the ‘better one’ is, is DEMOCRACY, now people’s need is a democratic system, the educated minds cannot be the subject of tyranny. But remember, democracy is not destined to be the ‘best’ always. May be a 100 or 200 years later, democracy will be oppressing and people would then start their mass-movement to bring a change, a Revolution to finish democracy would then be the need. And this would surely happen, even today is some better system, better than democracy is discovered then the society will sought to refute democracy. Hence, when the society needs a change and reformers have the vision of new system and a class is over-exploited it shouts, it cries to bring about the desired change.

Revolutions are important and very-very important for the people to continue a better survival.

 

DIFFERENCES- KEY CAUSE OF REVOLUTIONS

 

Since thousands of years discrimination prevails, and people are regularly talking about end of differences, but after protests of hundreds of years still we could not finish differences completely, still the line between poor and rich emerges. This (differences and discrimination), I think needs a great season of revolution, and until the day comes when all men would be equal, revolutions will continue, asking for small changes, promoting social equality. But, once complete equality will be achieved there would not be any further need of revolution. As whom would you ask for a change, everyone would be equal, right? Same problems for all. Everyone would be equally facing the same problems.

We can only hope, that what Carl Marx once said, comes true, that the whole world will someday be equal.

Actually all the uprisings against the wrong or something that may seem wrong to someone, may be a part of a revolution, changing the whole story.

For example, in India, Mangal Pandey’s rising against, instigated the country’s first struggle for independence, back in 1857.

 

Bhagat Singh

Let me quote the great Indian revolutionary Freedom Fighter, Bhagat Singh- “Old order should change, always and ever, yielding place to new, so that one “good” order may not corrupt the world. It is in this sense that we raise the shout “LONG LIVE REVOLUTION”. 

{from Bhagat Singh’s letter to The Editor, Modern Review, published later in The Telegraph on 24^th December, 1929.

Contributed by- Soumya

More Articles on Revolution, as a part of our Blog Series –

BIRTH OF DEMOCRACY IN MODERN HISTORY- THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Make sure to read all the articles of the Series.

Thank You for Reading !!