Think As Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: SITUATE THE POWER SHIfTS IN CONTEXT

On the surface, modern revolutions appear to follow a similar pattern. In The Anatomy of Revolution (1938), Crane Brinton described the similarities of four political revolutions: the English Revolution of the 1640s, the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Russian Revolution of 1917. Brinton thought that all four revolutions went through four stages.

1. Citizens become dissatisfied with government.

2. Moderates gain more power.

3. Radicals take over in a “terror” phase.

4. The process culminates in a period of relative calm and acceptance. Within this pattern, each revolution had unique revolutionary circumstances and outcomes. For example, Brinton acknowledged that the American Revolution, unlike the other three, lacked a “terror” phase. He concluded his study by noting that some top-down reforms imposed by government or elite leaders brought more lasting social change than the political revolutions he described.

Choose one of the revolutions covered in this topic and explain how it fits into the broader historical context of revolutionary patterns. Describe each stage or explain why the revolution did not follow the pattern Brinton described.