How to stage a revolution?

A revolution is a rapid, fundamental, and violent domestic change in the dominant values and myths of a society, in its political institutions, social structure, leadership and government activity, and policies. – Samuel Huntington

I am not sure if the lower class Pakistani peasants have any interest or idea of what a revolution or inqilab is.

They must be too busy figuring out how to feed themselves after Incredible India (or let’s call it Terrible India) blocked the River Chenab water flow to add more to our problems (as if what it already has been doing – according to certain reports/rumors/conspiracy theorists – through its R.A.W-but-not-raw efforts has not been enough).

But I am sure, a handful of middle class middle-aged and young Pakistanis must be wondering often these days as to how revolutions happen. And more importantly how or why certain revolutions may have more adverse effects.

In the recent past, I have been aimlessly, mindlessly and perhaps even unconsciously going through some novels, movies, documentaries which somehow deal (or so I suspected before digesting half of content) with the core of revolutions, uprisings, and change etc.

Such an aimless and half-hearted attempt at finding something is of course useless. Today, I came to know something which might help to make my attempts more organized. A certain page of the  Open Course Ware digital info-portal of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) seems like a starting point for a more intelligent and more disciplined approach of seriously researching the nature and history of revolutions and, of course revolutionaries ranging from Muhammad(PBUH) to Che Guevara, and Khomeni to certain recent Socialist Latin American leaders (and yes I admit I can recall just one name – Hugo Chavez; I do remember another Argentinian leader’s interview in a US Talk show but don’t know/remember his name).

While attempting to find something interesting regarding revolutions within Islamic and other historical perspectives on MIT’s Open Course Ware site, I luckily landed on the homepage of an interesting course conducted in fall 2007, titled ‘How to Stage a Revolution’.

The description of the course, to my surprise and delight, says,

explores fundamental questions about the causes and nature of revolutions. How do people overthrow their rulers? How do they establish new governments? Do radical upheavals require bloodshed, violence, or even terror? How have revolutionaries attempted to establish their ideals and realize their goals? We will look at a set of major political transformations throughout the world and across centuries to understand the meaning of revolution and evaluate its impact. By the end of the course, students will be able to offer reasons why some revolutions succeed and others fail.

The course’s home page seems great with lots of interesting links and materials. The download-able stuff available contains pdf files of the actual lectures on the very subject of revolution. Other important things include a reading list, lecturer’s notes, related resources etc for interested students.

I am more inclined to know about spiritual or mind revolutions rather than the bloody ones. I really don’t know what it really means but perhaps what it means is that if the intentions, actions and organization of the activists is vague and/or insincere and/or based on wrong fundamentals; the results may lead to greater problems.

I have yet to find out if any of OCW’s seemingly great course would be able to enlighten me in this regard. Hopefully it will.

I hope, studying the course won’t make me forget the first part, or believe the last part of this quote of Mao Zedong:

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.

Revolution is surely more than studying books, or discussing politics with friends over the dinner table. But it should not be synonymous with ‘violence’.

Now I should go and read few more pages of Chinua Achebe‘s modern classic ‘Things Fall Apart‘.

Filed under: Philosophy & Simplosofy, Politik, Free Course, MIT, OCW, Revolution, War on Terror