1. Stages of a Revolution

2. Today’s Objectives:
1. We will learn about the four stages of revolution.
2. We will be able to explain how the French Revolution fits into those four stages.

3. Who is Crane Brinton and what is this all about?
Crane Brinton was a historian who analyzed revolutions and found commonalities between them.
He found that there are four phases that most revolutions go through.

4. Crane Brinton
He wrote a very important book about these phases called, The Anatomy of a Revolution.
This book was first published in the 1930s but is still referred to today.

5. The English Civil War and English Republic (1642-1661)
King Charles I
Oliver Cromwell

6. The American Revolution and the Creation of the United States (1774-1783)
George Washington
King George III

7. The French Revolution to the Fall of Napoleon (1789-1815)
King Louis XVI
Maximilien Robespierre

8. The Russian Revolution and Creation of Soviet Union (1917-1922)
Czar Nicholas II
Vladimir Lenin

9. Brinton's Definition of “Revolution”
A drastic, sudden substitution of one group in charge of the running of a territorial political entity by another.

10. Revolutions as a Disease
Brinton compared a revolution to a disease with a high fever.
Just as the human body tries to fight off a disease and restore itself to its original state, so too do revolutions eventually fade to a state similar to the old order they replaced.

11. FEVER MODEL OF REVOLUTION
Much like an illness, revolutions can also be studied in stages

12. What would this stage be like in a revolution?
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.

13. 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.

14. Critical stage 2 things can happen individual either breaks the fever after a heightened stage of illness OR gets progressively worse & does not recover.
What would this stage be like in a revolution?
Crisis Stage
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 don’t are failed rebellions.

15. 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?
Convalescence
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.

16. Conditions Present Before a Revolution Takes Place
People from all social classes are discontented.
People feel restless & held down by unacceptable restrictions in society, religion, & the economy or gov’t
People are hopeful about the future, but are being forced to accept less than they had hoped for
People are beginning to think of themselves as belonging to a social class, & there is bitterness b/t social classes
Social classes closest to each other are the most hostile

17. Conditions Present Before a Revolution Takes Place
Scholars & thinkers give up on the way their society operates
Gov’t does not respond to needs of its society
Leaders of gov’t & ruling class begin to doubt themselves some join w/ opposition groups
Gov’t is unable to get enough support from any group to save itself.
Gov’t cannot organize its finances correctly & is either going bankrupt or trying to tax heavily & unjustly.

18. The Course that Revolutions Seem to Take
Impossible demands made of government which, if granted, would mean its end
Unsuccessful gov’t attempts to suppress revolutionaries
Revolutionaries gain power & seem united
Once in power, revolutionaries begin to quarrel among themselves, & unity begins to dissolves
Moderates gain the leadership but fail to satisfy those who insist on further changes

19. 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!!!!

20. Application of the Fever Model
The French Revolution
Application of the Fever Model

21. 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
1st estate - about 100,000 Roman Catholic clergy
2nd Estate

22. Causes - Incubation Enlightenment Ideas/American Rev.
Belief all men should have liberal freedoms
Right and just to remove unjust gov’t
Equality for all
United States Dec. of Independence and Constitution

23. Causes - Incubation King Louis XVI Weak leader
Preferred personal interests, delegated authority
Incapable of decisive action

25. 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

26. Moderate Stage - Symptoms
Estates General called, Third Estate demands reform - resisted by others

27. Moderate Stage - Symptoms
National Assembly declared (June 20, 1789)

28. Moderate Stage - Symptoms
Bastille stormed (July 14, 1789) in response to king mobilizing Swiss troops

29. 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

30. Moderate Stage - Symptoms
Reforms on National Assembly
“Liberty, equality, fraternity” - motto
Dismantled feudal system
Seized Church lands
Abolished estates
Creates Constitution of limits power of king (constitutional monarchy)
Men of property could vote

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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?