Revolutions and their significance - Essay Example

Significance of Revolutions Ernest Mandel described revolutions as “historical facts of life” and believesthat “almost all major states in todays world are born from revolutions. (Mandel) Revolutions are phases that can transform or modify a society’s constitutional/organizational structure such as the three European revolutions of 1789, 1917 and 1989 did. Analysis of these revolutions substantiates the fact that revolutions primarily encompass a specific society and are mostly targeted towards dismantling of relentless bureaucratization and centralization of power or to liberate forces of production .

The first Russian revolution (1917-1918) was a result of public’s demand for a freer inner market and the French revolution (1789-1799) happened because public became frustrated of the ongoing aristocratic scenario. These instances show that it was a particular aspect that provoked the public to revolt. A country’s revolution does not necessarily affect another country since no two governments are alike and so are the problems of its populace. However, the fact cannot be negated that revolutions always induce an everlasting impact on the world because governments learn to mend their ways to avoid similar situation in the region.

Alternately, occurrence of revolutions whether in the past or in recent times provokes another nation to stand against injustice and socio-economic imbalance in their country. Revolutions act like processes that force institutions to realize the power of public and alternately these also make public realize its own capability. “The revolutions in France and Russia liberated the enormous power of social reality of the people, creating powerful images of democratic equality to come” (Foran and Lane et al., 44). In France, not just its society underwent an epic transformation by favoring democracy over aristocracy, the world also grew fond of secularism and liberalism and a rapid rise in democracies and republics was witnessed afterwards.

Similarly, 1917 Russian revolution shook the balance of powers during World War I and gave the world its first communist state, which as a concept was soon adopted world over and generated many other revolutions. The 1989 Russian revolution resulted in changing history by creating 14 new states and promoting abandoning of communism. Therefore, revolutions are not merely historical incidences or dates but highly impactful reflections of a group of individuals that in-turn produce everlasting impression not only within the society but globally as well.

Revolutions basically introduced nations to their ultimate weapon, that is, Public’s power. Works Cited Foran, John, David Stuart Lane and Andreja Zivkovic. Revolution in the making of the modern world. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2007. Print.Mandel, Ernest. "Ernest Mandel: Case for Revolution (1989)." Marxists.org, 2013. Web. 17 Dec 2013. .