Revolutions have occurred in different parts of the world throughout history with the sole aim of replacing the existing government with a new one. In all revolutions that have happened, the majority citizens are not pleased by the authority and decides to use force to overthrow it and put in place the favored one. Some revolutions may be necessitated by oppression or the inability of the regime in power to protect the interests of the citizens. It is, therefore, correct to say that revolution is necessary when it is meant to protect the rights and safety of the people and should take place only after other political channels have been tried and failed.
Revolution is justified when the regime in power has failed to protect the rights of the citizens. The government may fail to protect the rights of the people by either oppressing them or ignoring its constitutional duty to provide the necessary services to the people. The citizens have the right to revolt against the government that does not safeguard their constitutional rights. This notion is reinfornced by Hamilton Alexander when he indicates that “In a free government, the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights”.[1] Here, the author means that the civil rights of an individual should be given similar respect to the religious ones. If a government is unable to protect the civil rights of its citizens, then it deserves to be replaced, and one way of doing that is through revolution. A revolution would also need to meet certain criteria to be justified.
A revolution is justified if it is motivated by a genuine cause and it is done through established political practices. There should be a justifiable reason for people to revolt against the government and should not be motivated by speculative factions that are subject enthusiasm and fanaticism[2]. Before overthrowing the government, it is important to have individuals in mind that will form the next government. In countries such as Iran, the power was handed over to the revolutionary council until a new government was formed.[3] A revolution can also involve handing over the government to the military as the replacement is sought. These correct political practices must be present for a revolution to be justified.
A revolution should take place when the government has failed to address the grievances of its citizens. It can fail to address the needs of its people by ignoring their plight or because it is unable to do so. In both cases, the citizens can revolt to replace the government with the one that will serve their interests. An oppressive government would not only fail to serve the interests of its people but also take away their rights. Some of the failures of the government that may lead to revolt. One of the reasons given is that the English monarch “has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.”[4] Such a government that oppresses its people deserves to be overthrown and replaced with one that serves the interests of its citizens. The Americans were also revolting against the monarch because he had refused his governors to pass laws important to the good of the people. Such a government was dysfunctional as it did address the needs of the people appropriately, and instead, it served the desire and interests of one individual, the monarch. In this sense, a government that has failed to fulfill its mandate to its citizens deserves to be overthrown through a revolution.
Dictatorial regimes have also been a cause of many revolutions in the modern world. The citizens may get tired of a dictatorial regime, which does not give other leaders the opportunity to rule the country and where power is concentrated to few. The revolution in such regimes happens after the dictator has ruled for some period until the citizens’ desire to exercise their freedom to elect their leaders or stop the oppressive behaviors of the dictator compels them to revolt. Some of the countries where the revolution has been prompted by the citizens desire to replace dictators include the revolt in Sudan, which saw the overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi’s regime in Libya and Husein Mubarak of Egypt.[5] The three regimes shared some similar characteristics typical to dictatorhsip. First, the three leaders had stayed in power for over two decades and had formed a close circle of people who benefited from their regime. Any opposition to their regime was countered with heavy penalty, a characteristic behavior of dictators meant to discourage anyone from questioning their authority. Therefore, citizens have the right to revolt against dictatorial regimes that strip them of their constitutional rights and use punitive measures to keep them under control.
Revolution is not the only way of replacing unpopular government. Unpopular regimes can be removed from power through democratic processes which does not necessarily involve violence. This can be achieved through a general election where the government’s term in office is over or through a vote of no confidence by the members of the parliament. Whe such options are vailable, revolution would not be justified. However, in the case of government that does not allow people to elect their leaders of choice, or manipulate constitution to lengthen their term in office, or manipulate election to emerge the winner, revolution may be necessary. It is also worth noting that most of the leaders who do these things are dictators in a way and abuse other parts of the Constitution. Most of the regimes that are overthrown through revolution have their leaders refusing in power even when their term in office is over and some even declaring their selves as presidents for life. Revolution is not the best way to solve political problems but becomes the only option when other means fail.
In conclusion, revolution is justified when it is meant to protect the rights and safety of the citizens and should be perpetrated when all other political methods have failed. Revolutions happen in societies where the government oppresses its subjects or does not deliver its mandate to them. It is justified when there is a genuine cause and is perpetrated through the appropriate political practices. Revolutions involve the use of force to remove the government out of office. It is, therefore, difficult to avoid violence during a revolution since the sitting government must try to resist until it is overcome by the collective power of its citizens. Revolution has helped in setting citizens of many nations free from colonialists and from their oppressive regimes. However, the freedom is obtained at the cost of the few who lose their lives fighting the oppressor.
Bibliography
Abrahamian, Ervand. “The causes of the constitutional revolution in Iran.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 10, no. 3 (1979): 381-414.
Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist no. 9, “The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection.” The Independent Journal (21 Nov. 1787). The Federalist Papers, Avalon Project at Yale Law School, avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed09.asp.
Merrill, Thomas W. “The rhetoric of rebellion in Hume’s constitutional thought.” The Review of Politics 67, no. 2 (2005): 257-282.
Noueihed, Lin, and Alex Warren. The battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, counter-revolution and the making of a new era. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2012.
[1] Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist no. 9, “The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection.” The Independent Journal (21 Nov. 1787). The Federalist Papers, Avalon Project at Yale Law School, avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed09.asp.
[2] Merrill, Thomas W. “The rhetoric of rebellion in Hume’s constitutional thought.” The Review of Politics 67, no. 2 (2005): 257-282.
[3] Abrahamian, Ervand. “The causes of the constitutional revolution in Iran.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 10, no. 3 (1979): 381-414.
[5] Noueihed, Lin, and Alex Warren. The battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, counter-revolution and the making of a new era. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2012.
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