POLI 227 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Che Guevara, French Revolution, Relative Deprivation

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 227
• Professor: Rex J Brynen

Document Summary

Violent transfer of political power and fundamental social transformation. French revolution (1789), russian revolution (1917), chinese revolution (1949) Why, where, and when do revolutions occur? (conditions) What do revolutionary regimes do once in power? (effects) The rulers can no longer continue to rule. Do(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e the fi(cid:374)a(cid:374)(cid:272)ial resour(cid:272)es to spare ti(cid:373)e. No correlation between per capita income and successful revolution. You (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t reall(cid:455) e(cid:454)port a re(cid:448)olutio(cid:374) u(cid:374)less there alread(cid:455) e(cid:454)ists re(cid:448)olutio(cid:374)ar(cid:455) (cid:272)o(cid:374)ditio(cid:374)s in the country. Che guevara believed one could create these revolutionary conditions. Po(cid:448)ert(cid:455) a(cid:374)d su(cid:271)(cid:448)ersio(cid:374) do(cid:374)"t see(cid:373) to (cid:271)e (cid:448)er(cid:455) po(cid:449)erful e(cid:454)pla(cid:374)atio(cid:374)s. Marx, in modern age, great revolutionary force is revolutionary proletariat. Actual communist revolution -> do(cid:374)"t look like (cid:449)hat mar(cid:454) theorized. What matters is not how poor u are in absolute terms, but how badly off you are compared to how well off you think you should be. Revolution occurs particularly where there is economic development and then a downturn (expectations outstripping conditions)