Stages of Revolution
Adapted from Crane Brinton’s book,
The Anatomy of Revolution
REVOLUTION:
A VIOLENT OVERTHROW
OF A GOVERNMENT
Crane Brinton’s Anatomy of a Revolution
 He borrowed his terms from
pathology.
 Compares a revolution to a
disease.
FEVER MODEL OF REVOLUTION
Crisis
Stage
Symptomatic
Stage
Convalescence
Incubation
Stage
Much like an illness, revolutions can also be studied in stages
This stage in an illness is when the cause of the sickness
first comes into contact with the individual, infecting them,
but not yet causing any symptoms to present themselves.
What would this stage be like in a revolution?
Crisis
Stage
Symptomatic
Stage
Convalescence
Incubation
Stage
In a revolution, this stage would involve the political, social, intellectual,
or economic causes. In some cases, these causes could fester for
many years before showing themselves in the form of actual
revolutionary action.
Sickness affects person in observable ways Temp may rise; cough
might present ; individual might become weak & queasy.
What would this stage be like in a revolution?
Crisis
Stage
Symptomatic
Stage
Convalescence
Incubation
Stage
1st part to involve direct action resulting from social, political,
intellectual, or economic causes of incubation stage. Might
involve the publication of works calling for a change, street
level riots by common people, or more direct attempts at
changing society.
Critical stage 2 things can happen individual either breaks the fever
after a heightened stage of illness OR gets progressively worse & does
not recover.
What would this stage be
like in a revolution?
Crisis Stage
Symptomatic
Stage
Convalescence
Incubation
Stage
Make or break part of struggle. May involve conflict where
sides for & against revolution compete. (could take the form of
debate or full-scale war) Successful revolutions survive this
stage- those that don’t are failed rebellions.
Recovery from illness. Individual might be weakened from experience,
but he or she will eventually emerge healthy & w/ new knowledge &
experience that might prevent illness from occurring again.
What would this stage be like in a revolution?
Crisis
Stage
Symptomatic
Stage
Convalescence
Incubation
Stage
Recovery from the extreme disruptions of crisis stage. Political, social,
intellectual, or economic causes of revolution must be addressed in
some way, though not necessarily to satisfaction of all revolutionaries.
Preliminary Stage
PRELIMINARY STAGE
 Class antagonism
 Economic upgrade, which does not reach the
people
 Government inefficiency
 Inept ruler—Autocrat with absolute power
 People ask for change (justice)
 Autocrat attempts to stop early protests with
force (terror), which fails
 Intellectuals transfer their loyalty from
government to the people
Initial Stage
INITIAL STAGE
 Financial breakdown
 Protests against government increase
dramatically
 Moderates gain power relatively peacefully
 Revolutionary underground (radicals) foment
revolution
 Mob psychology
 Ignorant
 Emotional
 Now wants revenge
Crisis Stage
CRISIS STAGE
 Radicals take control
 Remove moderates
 Enemies attempt to stop radicals:
 Civil war
 Foreign war
 Centralization of power in revolutionary council
 Council dominated by a “strongman”
 Use common term of address
 Try to kill original autocrat
 Use terror to rule
Recovery
RECOVERY
 Revolution turns inward
 Radicals removed
 Some killed
 Charismatic autocrat comes to power
 Aggressive nationalism
 Slow, uneven return to quieter times
 People trade freedom for security
Security vs. Freedom
Security
Freedom
French Revolution
Preliminary Stage
Causes of the French Revolution
Class Antagonism
 First Estate: 100,000 Catholic clergy
 Did not pay taxes
 Second Estate: 400,000 nobles
 Exempt from many taxes
 Third Estate: Rest of population
 Sans-culottes
 Provided bulk of French tax revenue
 In 1780s, 50% of revenue went to pay off debts
 American War for Independence
 Lavish lifestyle of the monarchy
Government Inefficiency
 Need for tax reform
 Louis XVI hoped to raise taxes
on ancien régime
 Aristocracy resisted reforms and
pushed Louis to not make
changes
 Forced Louis to call the EstatesGeneral for the
first time since
1614
People Ask for Change
 Cahiers de Doleances
Autocrat’s Failed Attempts to
Stop Early Protests
 National Assembly locked out of meeting
place
Intellectuals Transfer
Their Loyalty
 Enlightenment ideals from the philosophes
 Popular sovereignty & natural rights (Locke)
 Political & legal equality (Rousseau)
 Personal freedoms (Voltaire)
 Global influence of
Enlightenment values
 American War for
Independence
Initial Stage
(1789-1791)
Financial Breakdown
 Series of bad harvests 1787 & 1788
 High bread prices
Protests against the Government
 Storming of the Bastille
 Women’s March on
Versailles
Moderate Governments
 National Assembly 1789
 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
 Legislative Assembly 1789 -1792
Revolutionary Underground
 Jacobins
Crisis Stage
(1792-1794)
Radicals Take Control
Arrest of Louis XVI
August 10, 1792
 National Convention 1792 - 1795
Enemies of the Revolution
Increase
 Civil war
 Louis XVI
 Nobles/Emigres
 Foreign war
 Austria
 England
Revolutionary Council
and Strongman
 Jacobins
 Sans culottes
 Committee of Public Safety
 Robespierre
 Common term of address
 Citizen
Kill the Original Autocrat
 Louis guillotined
 January, 1793 (38)
 Marie guillotined
 October, 1793 (37)
Uses Terror to Rule
 Reign of Terror
 Led by Robespierre
 According to records
16,000+ died under the
guillotine
 Historians estimate could be
as high as 40,000
“The first maxim of our politics ought to be to lead the people
by means of reason and the enemies of the people by terror.”
British View of Reign of Terror
Recovery Stage
(1794-1815)
Revolution Turns Inward
 Festival of the
Supreme Being
 June 8, 1794
 Thermidorean Reaction
 July, 1794
Charismatic Autocrat
 Directory
 1794-1799
 Napoleon
 1799
Aggressive Nationalism
 Napoleonic Wars
Quieter Times
 Napoleon’s domestic
policies
 Napoleonic Code
 Schools and universities
 Revised tax code
Trade Freedom for Security
 Empire
 1804-1815
Stages of Revolution
Adapted from Crane Brinton’s book,
The Anatomy of Revolution