A revolution from above refers to major political and social changes that are imposed by an
elite on the population it dominates. It usually occurs in urban areas in the capital city. By contrast, the plain term
revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
suggests that pressure from below is a major driving force in events, even if other social groups cooperate with—or ultimately capture—the movement. The phrase was coined by the Spanish writer
Joaquín Costa
Joaquín Costa (September 14, 1846, Monzón, Huesca Province – February 8, 1911) was a Spanish politician, lawyer, economist and historian.
The son of an Aragonese farmer and his first wife, Costa was self-educated and campaigned to end what ...
in the 19th century.
[ Stanley G. Payne, ''The Franco Regime'', p. 10]
In contrast, a "revolution from below" refers to a
grassroots campaign against elites.
Some examples
*
Enlightened absolutism in 18th-century Europe
*The
Constitution of the German Confederation (1871)
The Constitution of the German Confederation (german: Verfassung des Deutschen Bundes) or November Constitution (''Novemberverfassung'') was the constitution of the German federal state at the beginning of the year 1871. It was enacted on Januar ...
and the formation of the
German Empire
*
Fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
*
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
's
Collectivization
Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...
of agriculture
*
De-Stalinization under
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
*
German reunification
*
White Revolution
The White Revolution ( fa, انقلاب سفید ''Enqelāb-e Sefid'') or the Shah and People Revolution ( fa, انقلاب شاه و مردم ''Enqelāb-e Shāh o Mardom'') was a far-reaching series of reforms resulting in aggressive moderniz ...
in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
See also
*''
Revolution from Above: Military Bureaucrats and Development in Japan, Turkey, Egypt, and Peru'', a 1978 book written by Ellen Kay Trimberger
*
Passive revolution
Passive revolution is a transformation of the political and institutional structures without strong social processes by ruling classes for their own self-preservation. The phrase was coined by the Marxist politician and philosopher Antonio Grams ...
- a similar concept associated with
Antonio Gramsci
References
Political ideologies
Revolution terminology
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