The debate "Revolutions are prerequisites for a healthy government" was started by
Apollo8 on
November 8, 2015, 1:00 pm.
16 people are on the agree side of this discussion, while 3 people are on the disagree side.
People are starting to choose their side.
It looks like most of the people in this community are on the agreeing side of this statement.
Sosocratese posted 2 arguments to the agreers part.
PsychDave posted 1 argument to the disagreers part.
Yuki_Amayane, wmd, Sosocratese, Skeetc15, andy91, TonganCaillou, DannyknowsItAll, SueAnnMohr and 8 visitors agree.
PsychDave, Kaleighltay and 1 visitor disagree.
Apologies on those dates. The upper and lower Canadian revolutions occurred in 1837 and we're of course subdued in 1838....
Revolutions don't need to be violent. Social revolutions like the civil rights movement, women's suffrage, etc... Are staples of societal growths. Governments must react to reflect the social revolutions, and they are thus altered through them. Sometimes in a superficial way, but sometimes in a profound way.
I think it's impossible to deny that the civil rights movement forever altered the US government in a significant way. You'd also be hard pressed to not call it a social revolution.
The same goes for Canada. Their civil rights movement forever altered their government. And Canada's independence wasn't all that peaceful. The lower, and shortly after, the upper Canadian revolutions were proper violent revolutions. Although they were quickly subdued (by late 1938), they did lead directly to the unifying of Canada and the subsequent establishment of the Canadian federation.
An example of a nation with a peaceful government without revolution would be Canada. At no point in Canadian history has the government been overthrown, and they even split away from England peacefully.
I would agree that there are times revolution is needed for a government to improve but, as historybuff said, most of them end badly for the citizens so if peaceful means are possible, they should be employed.
I'm not saying that all revolutions go badly. but the majority of them do. they make things worse. now if you are up against a tyrannical government then revolution might be called for. but short of that peaceful means are far superior.
Actually, the French revolution was the signal which forwarded people's criticism such that there were now people who would go against the king, giving the people some sort of voice.
It was also various revolutions which resulted in the magna carta, where democracy started.
no. revolutions often create extremism. if you look at the french revolution or the Russian revolution they create violent bloodbaths. they can then make worse governments than you had before.