Viva La Revolution!

The Story of People Power in 30 Revolutions

By Derry Nairn

Elliott and Thompson Limited

Copyright © 2012 Derry Nairn
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-907642-40-1

Contents

Title page,
Dedication,
Copyright,
Introduction: History Repeating?,
Despotism and Persecution,
American Fall: USA 1776,
Dancing About History: Haiti 1791,
Twin Peaks: Russia 1917,
Rightly-guided: Iran 1979,
Human Capital: Argentina 2001-02,
Martyrs and Icons,
A Change in the Pipeline: Medieval Azerbaijan,
Another False Dmitri?: The Pugachev Rebellion 1773-74,
The Liberator’s Liberator: Gran Colombia 1820s,
Heaven on Earth: Taiping Rebellion 1850-61,
History’s Absolution: Cuba 1959,
Just Violence, Radical Peace,
Half the World: Huang Chao and Tang China 874-88,
Hungry Philosophers: Europe 1848,
A Pinch of Salt: India and Pakistan 1947,
Her Majesty’s Witchdoctors: The Mau Mau 1952-60,
Velvet and Iron: The Soviet Empire 1988-91,
The Hidden Hand,
Rebel City: Spartacus’ Revolt 73BC,
Summer in the City: The Revolt of 1381,
A Guerrilla Tradition: The Arab Revolt 1916-18,
Sun and Steel: Japan 19th and 20th centuries,
Digital Renegades: The Zapatistas 1994-present,
The Revolution Eats Itself,
Not Just English; Not Only a Revolution: England and Scotland 1640-1707,
Dying on Its Feet: Mexico 1910-17,
Zero Sums: Spanish Revolution 1936-38,
A Dutch Revolt: Indonesia: 1945-49,
More Than One Viktor: Ukraine 2004,
Remembering the Future,
A Star is Born: Jewish Revolt of 132-136AD,
Indomitable: The Bagaudae 4th and 5th centuries,
Popular Venom: The French Revolution 1789,
Kidnapped!: The Irish 1798 Rebellion,
Love the Future: China’s 20th century,
Conclusion: The Evolution of Revolution,
Acknowledgements,
Sources,
Select Bibliography,

CHAPTER 1

Despotism and Persecution

For more than 23 years before they rose up in anger Tunisians had endured the presidency of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Egyptians had laboured under Hosni Mubarak for almost 30 years; Muammar Gaddafi had ruled for nearly 42 years. Why, Western journalists pondered, had North Africans taken so long to end their persecution?

In hard times, people find novel ways to tolerate oppressive circumstances. Haitian slaves danced. People living under authoritarian Communism sought escapism in humour. Extreme circumstances can be endured. At an indefinable point, however, acceptance of the status quo is not enough any more. Exploring five diverse revolutions, this chapter seeks to investigate how that point is reached. At length, each society discovered that without some of life’s essentials – food, faith, dignity – formerly contented and conservative civilians can be transformed into desperate revolutionaries.

The end times of Imperial Russia suggest the depths to which a proud people can be reduced to before such a point is reached. While the Tsar floated in opulence, the masses laboured in factory and field. Antiquated military strategies and incompetent leadership led to the sacrifice of millions of lives in the First World War. Harvests were requisitioned. Transport lines became bottlenecked. Strikes paralysed the country. Food and fuel shortages became de rigueur for civilians; a lack of food and ammunition was just as familiar to the army. This cocktail of lethal social ingredients finally exploded in February 1917. Having watched friends and family freeze in starvation