This is the third course of Specialisation 2: Political Conflict in Modern Europe.
(English track International Relations/History).
The Arabic Revolution in the Middle East, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia are only some of the most prominent examples of widespread revolutionary revolt in recent years. Revolutions are politically charged, easily cross national borders, and have a major impact on the world we live in. At the same time, revolutions are the topic of fierce discussion. Do they produce chaos, civil war and unrest? Or, are they, instead a catalyst for democratic societies that are founded on the rule of law? Furthermore, how and why do they start? And why do some revolutions succeed while others fail?
This case-study course focuses on the explanations for revolutions and other forms of political upheaval in a long-term historical perspective. The course investigates four different academic theories which claim to explain the causes, developments, and consequences of revolutions, coups and regime changes, and focus on social class, the actions of the state, ideology, and transitions to democracy.
We apply these different explanations to concrete historical and recent instances of political upheaval, ranging from the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century right up to the Arab Spring in the world of today. In so doing, students weigh up different explanations and develop an understanding of the various dynamic processes that determine the course and consequences of revolutions. In their own paper, students finally apply these various explanations to understand a concrete revolutionary case in past or present.
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