POLI 227 Lecture Notes - Guerrilla Warfare, Democratic Centralism, Proletariat
5 views4 pages
14 Apr 2012
School
Department
Course
Professor
14 – Revolution
Mali Coup
- Flawed but semi-functioning democracy
- Coup triggered because military felt they weren’t getting enough resources
- Seems to have been a “lieutenants, captains, and sergeants” coup
- Demands aren’t coherent – don’t think they have interest in changing regime
- Cutting off aid to Mali would hurt normal Malians as much as the military
- “guardian” coup
Defining revolution
- Broad definition
o Violent transfer of political power
o Insurgency
- Narrow definition
o Violent transfer of political power AND fundamental social transformation
o E.g. French, Russian, Chinese revolutions (restructure social order within societies)
- Handelman’s definition
o Comprehensive political and socio-economic change
3 Questions:
- Why, when, and where do revolutions occur? (conditions)
o The ruled revolt & rulers can no longer continue to rule
o Driven by poverty and external subversion (not always true)
o Class struggle
Marx: revolutionary proletariat
Actual communist revolutions
o Relative deprivation
J-curve