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.

Crane Brinton's Stages of Revolution

Crane Brinton (1898-1968)

Historian Crane Brinton wrote The Anatomy of Revolution in 1938, a book which examined four revolutions in order to find the common patterns between them.

The English Civil War and English Republic (1642-1661)

King Charles I Oliver Cromwell

The American Revolution and the Creation of the United States (1774-1783)

King George III George Washington

The French Revolution to the Fall of Napoleon (1789-1815)

King Louis XVI Maximilien Robespierre

The Russian Revolution and Creation of Soviet Union (1917-1922)

Czar Nicholas II Vladimir Lenin

Brinton's Definition of “Revolution”

A drastic, sudden substitution of one group in charge of the running of a territorial political entity by another.

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.

Stage 1: Incubation Stage Also like a disease,

symptoms are present before the outbreak.

Certain common conditions are found in societies which undergo revolutions.

These factors lead to the fall of the old regime.

Economic Crisis Governments are

more vulnerable to revolution when there is some sort of massive financial crisis going on.

Can you think of some examples of this from pre-Revolution France?

Sense of Government Injustice

In all revolutions, there is a sense of being wronged by the government in some way.

Can you think of any abuses of government power in the Old Regime in France?

Weak Rulers and Half-Hearted “Reform”

All of the revolutions Brinton studied had weak or incompetent rulers.

In addition, all of the governments tried to placate the discontented with attempts at reform that either failed or never got off the ground to begin with, further angering people.

Can you think of any examples of such conditions in France before the Revolution?

Intellectual Opposition

Revolutions are also characterized by a shift in the alliances of intellectuals from the government to those calling for reform.

Intellectuals write and speak against the government.

Can you think of any examples of this during the French Revolution?

Class Division and Antagonism

All revolutions seem to involve deep division and discontent among the various social and economic classes.

Can you think of any class issues which existed in France during the 18th century?

Military Victory

• A necessary component of revolution is the defeat or recruitment of the armed forces of the nation by the revolutionaries – this is what makes a revolution a revolution.

• Why is this so important? What happened in France?

Stage 2: Moderate Stage Revolutions tend to be

led by moderate leaders in their early stages.

Moderates try to enact reforms without resorting to extremism and violence.

Moderates advocate for compromise and reform – not dramatic, overnight overhauls of society and government.

Rule of the Moderates• In this stage, protests

against the government increase.

• Violence may occur, but on a small scale.

• Factions (competing interest groups) exist, but tend to get along at first.

• Can you think of any examples of this moderate stage in France in the early years of the Revolution?

Stage 3: Crisis Stage• Radicals gain control of

government.• The use of violence increases

dramatically.• Regicide (the killing of a

monarch) or other political assassinations increase.

• Secret police are used to root out “enemies.”

• There are often moves against religious institutions.

Radical Revolution• Radicals form

revolutionary councils and dispense a harsh brand of “justice.”

• These councils become dominated by a strongman.

• Civil or foreign war is often a factor as well.

• Can you think of any examples of this pattern of events from the French Revolution?

Totally radical, dude!

Stage 4: Recovery Stage

• The reign of terror ends, and violence diminishes.

• Radicals are ejected from power, and moderates return.

• A government resembling the old regime returns, though altered by the effects of the revolution.

War or Peace

• The recovery stage may be characterized either by peace or war.

• Peace may be made with foreign enemies, or aggressive nationalism may lead to more war.

• What are some examples of the recovery stage from the French Revolution?