Revolutions, Rebellions, and Revolts! - Albion College

Revolutions, Rebellions,and Revolts!
Connecting history and current events toAnimal Farm
Lesson Launch
Make a list of the qualities of a good leaderWhat happens when people are dissatisfied with a leader?
French Revolution (1789)
Leading up to it…Peasants wereburdened withhightaxes levied to support wealthy aristocrats and their sumptuous, often gluttonous,lifestylesPower rested in the monarchy and those who were “privileged by birth”French government was essentially bankruptCrop failures, shortage of grain, rising price of bread
The 1905 Russian Revolution
People'sfaith in Nicholas II, the Russian Tsar, was waning. (Russiawas defeated by the Japanese in number of navybattles)Cold-bloodedshooting of hundreds of unarmed demonstrators in St Petersburg on 22 January1905In Kurland, today Western Latvia, 184 estates were burned and 82 Baltic Germans were killed by angry farmers.TheTsar reacted harshly to theseuprisings -- Nearlyone thousand people in the Baltic were captured and executed and thousands were exiled to Siberian prisoncamps.Positiveoutcome to theseuprisings? --Not only did the people feel more empowered than ever before but one concession that the Tsar made was to grant people representation in the Russiangovernment.
Mexican Revolution (1910)
Tremendousdisagreement among the Mexican people over the dictatorship of PresidentPorfirioDíaz,who stayedin office for thirty one years.Powerwas concentrated in the hands of a selectfew. The peoplehad no power to express their opinions or select their public officials.Wealth wasconcentrated in the hands of thefew.Newgeneration of young leaders arose who wanted to participate in the political life of theircountry-- Deniedthe opportunity by the officials who were already entrenched in power and who were not about to give it up.Althoughthe Mexican Constitution called for public election and other institutions of democracy,Díazand his supporters used their political and economic resources to stay in power indefinitely.
Looking at historical events…
Identify reasonswhy a government would be overthrownWhatinspires a revolution? What is the purpose of arebellion/revolution?What do citizens, peasants, political groups hope to achieve with a revolution?
Aristotle’s Words…
“Revolutionsarise frominequalities … froma numerical mass claiming an equality denied them, or from a minority claiming a superiority denied them. A revolution may result either in a complete change of polity, or only in a modification of the existing one.Thepurposes with which[revolutions]are set on foot are profit,honor, or avoidance of loss ordishonor. The inciting occasions are many; jealousy of those who have wealth andhonor, official arrogance, fear of the law or of its abuse, personal rivalries, failure of the middle class to maintain a balance, race antagonisms, antagonism of localities, andothers….”