Revolutions 101 | National Geographic

• [Narrator] Politics are a powerful and dynamic human creation, a truth most evident in revolutions around the world. A revolution, in a political sense, is a sudden and seismic shift from one form of government to another.

While revolutions come in many forms, they often share four characteristics in varying degrees: dissident elites, mass frustration, shared motivation, and state crises. All together, these factors have ignited some of the most radical changes throughout history.

Revolutions are often facilitated by a dissident elite. This particular group is comprised of people with wealth, power, or an education who are willing to challenge the existing administration. Elites played a critical role in the American Revolution, one of the earliest revolutions in modern history. American colonists, under the rule of Great Britain, won a war for their independence in 1783.

Colonial elites like Thomas Jefferson, who would later become a United States president, fueled the revolt by contributing their resources toward reform. Frustration among the masses also plays a critical role in social upheavals. When a large percentage of a population feels grave discontent with their political, economic, and social institutions, they may revolt.

Only a few years after the American Revolution, the people of France initiated their own revolt. Several factors, including economic difficulties and an antiquated feudal system that fueled social inequalities, all contributed to the dissent. Ultimately, French society permanently ousted their monarchy and replaced it with a republic.

Another characteristic found in revolutions is a shared motivation. Shared motivations are what unify a large enough number of people, specifically from multiple classes and groups, to effectively rebel. These motivations helped the revolutions of Latin America in the early 19th century. Ruled by Spain and Portugal at the time, colonists from multiple Latin American classes and ethnicities were inspired by the Enlightenment.

The intellectual movement challenged tradition, including traditional forms of governance, and ended up playing a role in the fight for colonists' independence in Latin America. Severe state crises also motivate revolutions. In particular, an administration's failure to meet the needs of its people makes it vulnerable to insurgency.

The revolutions of early 20th century Russia occurred because of the government's exceptional frailty. Its political, military, and economic systems had been virtually decimated by the state's defeats in World War I. The nation's power vacuum then led to revolts that replaced Russia's imperial state and created the world's first communist regime.

Virtually all revolutions experience severe state crises, shared motivations, mass frustrations, and a dissident elite to some degree. While revolutions may involve different players, governments, and cultures, the characteristics they share help them transcend their differences and demonstrate the dynamism of human nature and politics.