Why Revolutions Fail

Summary

This video script explores the complex dilemmas faced by revolutions, particularly focusing on the aftermath of overthrowing a dictatorship. It discusses the challenges of maintaining unity among diverse factions, the role of the military, and the influence of international powers. The script uses Egypt's 2011 revolution as a case study, highlighting the difficulties of transitioning from a state of unrest to a stable, democratic society. It also touches on the potential for counter-revolutions, the impact of international support, and the importance of effective implementation of revolutionary goals.

Takeaways

• 🏆 Revolutions are complex and often start with a delicate balance of factors, requiring careful nurturing to succeed.
• 🔄 Ideological disagreements can quickly fracture unity among revolutionaries, leading to infighting and potential failure of the revolution.
• 🤝 Elite factions may join a revolution for their own gain, which can lead to conflicts of interest and counter-revolutionary actions.
• 🕊️ Post-revolutionary periods require faith in new institutions, but if people believe they cannot achieve their goals through these systems, they may reject them.
• 💡 The success of a revolution is not just about overthrowing a dictator; it's also about the subsequent governance and meeting the promises made to the people.
• 🌐 International support can be crucial for a revolution's survival, but it often comes with strings attached, potentially undermining the revolution's goals.
• 🛑 Implementation of revolutionary goals can be challenging due to logistical, infrastructural, and bureaucratic hurdles.
• 🔄 The transition from revolutionary fervor to stable governance can lead to disillusionment if the new regime fails to deliver on its promises.
• 🏛️ Historical perspectives on past regimes can influence current attitudes towards revolution, with some people idealizing the past despite its flaws.
• 🌍 The global political landscape can significantly impact a revolution's trajectory, with external forces sometimes using revolutions to serve their interests.

Q & A

What dilemma did Egypt face in 2011 after overthrowing dictator Hosni Mubarak?

Egypt faced the dilemma of managing ideological disagreements among various factions such as labor unions, secular activists, military factions, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which led to internal conflicts and power struggles after Mubarak's resignation.

What is referred to as the 'three eyes' of a revolution?

The 'three eyes' of a revolution refer to infighting, international support, and implementation. These factors can significantly impact the success and stability of a post-revolutionary society.

Why did the elections in Egypt after Mubarak's resignation lead to chaos?

The elections led to chaos because the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood won, causing clashes between leftwing labor unions, conservatives, secularists, and Islamists, and ultimately resulting in the military-backed candidate taking power in 2014.

How did the ideological disagreements contribute to the failure of the Egyptian revolution?

Ideological disagreements among the revolutionary masses led to a lack of unity and a halt in the push for change, allowing existing elites, particularly the military, to become the biggest obstacle to change.

What role did international support play in the Arab Spring revolutions, and what were the consequences?

International support played a crucial role in the Arab Spring revolutions by providing money, people, and aid. However, this support often came with demands for trade guarantees and access to resources, which could undermine the revolution's autonomy and lead to a loss of momentum.

What is the 'implementation gap' in the context of a revolution?

The 'implementation gap' refers to the difference between the aims of a revolution and the practical problems that arise during the implementation of those aims. This gap can lead to disillusionment and instability if the revolution fails to deliver on its promises.

Why do some revolutions devolve into dictatorships rather than democracies?

Revolutions may devolve into dictatorships because democracies require a robust and sophisticated bureaucracy to function effectively. In the absence of such infrastructure, military rule, which is cheaper and logistically simpler, often rises out of pre-existing structures.

How did the Soviet Union's dissolution affect the perception of the USSR among Russians?

Despite the USSR's autocratic nature and human rights abuses, a significant percentage of Russians in 2019 felt that the Soviet Union took care of ordinary people and regretted its dissolution, possibly due to a positive view of the past regime or the implementation gap post-dissolution.

What challenges do post-revolutionary societies face in terms of dealing with the past regime's supporters and beneficiaries?

Post-revolutionary societies struggle with how to handle the supporters and beneficiaries of the past regime, balancing the desire for justice and revenge with the need for stability and the potential for counter-revolutionary sentiment.

Why might people idealize the past, even when it includes autocratic regimes with poor human rights records?

People might idealize the past because every regime is good for someone, and they may not see or care about the negative aspects experienced by others. Their identity may be wrapped up in a narrative that they want to view positively.

What are some of the common pitfalls that a revolution might encounter after overthrowing a dictator?

Common pitfalls include internal divisions among allies, lack of trust in the military, economic instability, the rise of extremist factions, and the struggle to fulfill promises of jobs, equality, human rights, and democracy.

Outlines

00:00

😣 Dilemma of Post-Revolutionary Governance

This paragraph discusses the complex situation a new regime faces after overthrowing a dictatorship, as seen in Egypt's 2011 revolution. It highlights the challenges of fulfilling promises of jobs, equality, human rights, and democracy. The military's ambiguous role and the dilemma of trusting extremist radicals are underscored. The paragraph also touches on the economic survival of the new regime amidst international interests in the country's resources. It concludes with a plug for the speaker's writing and world-building books, which offer in-depth discussions on such topics.

05:01

🌪️ The Dynamics of Revolutions and Their Aftermath

The paragraph delves into the intricacies of revolutions, using the example of Egypt post-Mubarak. It outlines the 'three eyes' of revolution—internal conflict, international support, and implementation—as critical factors. The summary details the ideological clashes between various factions, the military's power grab, and the struggle to establish a new governance system. It also discusses the societal divisions that can emerge and the potential for democratic backsliding, as seen in Egypt's experience. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of unity among revolutionary masses and the challenges posed by ideological disagreements.

10:02

🛡️ The Role of Elites and International Forces in Revolutions

This section examines the motivations and actions of elites and international actors during and after revolutions. It discusses how elites may join revolutions for personal gain and how their interests can diverge from the revolutionary goals, potentially leading to counter-revolutions or power struggles. The paragraph also addresses the impact of international support, which can be conditional and sometimes used to manipulate new regimes, as illustrated by examples from the Cold War and recent history. The summary points out the vulnerability of revolutions to external influences and internal power dynamics.

15:04

🏗️ The Challenges of Implementing Revolutionary Change

The paragraph focuses on the difficulties of translating revolutionary goals into tangible policies and societal changes. Using the example of Mao's China and its economic policies, it highlights the 'implementation gap' where ambitious plans fail due to logistical, technological, and bureaucratic challenges. The summary discusses the potential for corruption, the complexity of reorganizing society, and the pitfalls of relying on hard power or military rule. It also touches on the tendency for revolutions to devolve into dictatorships due to the simplicity of establishing authoritarian rule over democratic systems.

20:05

🔄 The Complexities of Post-Revolutionary Society

This section explores the complexities of society following a revolution, including the struggle to meet the promises of better living standards and the potential for economic decline. It discusses how people may idealize past regimes due to various factors, such as personal benefits or a perception of failure in the new system. The paragraph also addresses the potential for societal divisions to worsen and for radical ideologies to take root in the vacuum left by a revolution. The summary emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of post-revolutionary societies and the challenges they face.

25:27

🏛️ Reflections on Revolutions and Their Impact

The final paragraph offers a summary of the key points discussed in the script, focusing on the internal and external challenges revolutions face. It emphasizes the potential for ideological disagreements, elite conflicts, and the manipulative role of international forces. The summary also touches on the difficulties of implementation and the complexities of post-revolutionary society, concluding with a call to action for viewers to support the speaker's work through book purchases or Patreon.

Keywords

💡Revolution

A revolution refers to a fundamental change in the political, social, or economic system of a country, often brought about by the people through mass uprisings. In the video, the theme revolves around the challenges faced after a successful revolution, such as maintaining unity among diverse factions and delivering on promises like jobs and democracy.

💡Dictatorship

A dictatorship is a form of government where absolute power is concentrated in the hands of a single person or a small group. The script discusses overthrowing a brutal dictatorship, highlighting the initial success of a revolution but also the subsequent difficulties in transitioning to a more democratic and equitable system.

💡Infighting

Infighting refers to internal conflicts within a group or organization, often over power or ideological differences. The video script mentions infighting as one of the 'three eyes' that can snuff out a revolution, illustrating how disagreements among factions that initially united against a common enemy can lead to instability and hinder progress.

💡International Influence

International influence pertains to the capacity of a country or entity to affect the politics, policies, or actions of others on a global scale. The script discusses the dilemma of seeking international support, which can be a double-edged sword, as it may come with strings attached, potentially compromising the revolution's goals.

💡Economic Instability

Economic instability refers to a situation where a country's economy is prone to fluctuations, volatility, or crises. The video script sets the stage in a country facing economic challenges, which is a common backdrop for revolutions and a factor that can complicate post-revolutionary governance.

💡Democracy

Democracy is a system of government where power is vested in the people, who can exercise it directly or through elected representatives. The script emphasizes the promise of democracy made to the people during the revolution, but also the challenges in establishing and maintaining democratic governance amidst various pressures.

💡Human Rights

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all individuals are entitled, including the right to life, liberty, and security of person. The video script mentions human rights as one of the promises of the revolution, indicating the high expectations set for the new regime to uphold these rights.

💡Elites

Elites refer to individuals or groups that hold a significant degree of power, wealth, or influence within a society. The script discusses how elites may join or resist a revolution based on their interests, and how their actions can significantly impact the success or failure of revolutionary goals.

💡Counterrevolution

A counterrevolution is an attempt to reverse or undermine the effects of a revolution. The video script warns of the possibility of counterrevolutions if the new regime fails to address the concerns of various factions or if external forces intervene to restore the old order.

💡Implementation Gap

Implementation gap refers to the difference between the intended outcomes of a policy or action and the actual results achieved. The script uses this concept to describe the challenges in realizing the lofty goals of a revolution, such as economic reforms, in the face of practical obstacles and resistance.

💡Ideological Disagreement

Ideological disagreement refers to conflicts arising from differing beliefs or principles, especially within a group that was initially united under a common cause. The video script highlights how such disagreements can fracture the revolutionary alliance, leading to internal strife and potentially the downfall of the new regime.

Highlights

The dilemma of what to do after overthrowing a dictatorship, as exemplified by Egypt's situation post-Mubarak.

The importance of unity among revolutionaries and the challenges posed by ideological disagreements.

The role of the military in post-revolutionary scenarios and the potential for betrayal or support.

The complexities of balancing the needs of various factions, including radicals and international powers, in a new regime.

The impact of infighting on the success of a revolution, as seen in Egypt's struggle between secular and Islamist factions.

The challenges of transitioning from a revolutionary state to a stable democracy or another form of governance.

The potential for democratic backsliding and the failure to achieve revolutionary aims due to elite infighting.

The role of extremist ideologies in revolutions and the potential for them to derail the original goals of the revolution.

The importance of public faith in institutions and the political system for a successful transition post-revolution.

The potential for democratically elected leaders to slide into dictatorship and the dangers of unchecked power.

The complexities of dealing with factions seeking revenge and the ethical dilemmas of post-revolutionary justice.

The symbolism and challenges of post-revolutionary governance as depicted in The Hunger Games.

The influence of international support on the success or failure of a revolution, with examples from the Cold War.

The potential for international interests to exploit revolutions for access to resources, as seen in Libya's case.

The difficulties of implementing revolutionary aims and the gap between aspirations and practical realities.

The tendency for revolutions to devolve into dictatorships due to the complexities of establishing democracies.

The exploration of post-revolutionary challenges in literature, such as in Brown's Red Rising series.

The psychological impact of revolutions on the populace and the tendency to idealize past regimes.

The summary of key challenges in post-revolutionary scenarios, including ideological conflict and elite motivations.

Transcripts

revolutions face a choice imagine you're

from a small economically unstable

country without much International

influence and after weeks of protests

and violent clashes with the state with

hundreds of people lifted in the streets

you've just overthrown a brutal

dictatorship which has held power for

decades you've promised the people jobs

equality human rights democracy and now

you've got to deliver the question is

what next the military swears to well

quote protect the revolution but you

don't know how much you can trust them

and even though you worked with some

extremist radicals to overthrow the

dictator can you really rely on them now

they want some pretty bad stuff your new

regime needs money to survive and all of

these other rich countries are

scrambling eyeing up your oil reserves

breaking ties with any of these people

might see the death of the Revolution

but keeping them around might destroy it

too this was the exact dilemma Egypt

faced in 2011 after alting dictator hny

Mubarak after three decades of power

part of the Arab Spring this is the

revolution's

[Music]

Dilemma

and if you like this kind of realworld

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writing and World building discussions

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get them they're awesome on with the

video part one a tender flame in the

words of plutar Heavens be revolutions

are a tnder flame there a storm of

complex factors all coming together at

once you can watch my other video about

that on the dictators dma they need to

be nurtured with a little kindling and

warmth and they're so easily snuffed out

and that's because of what we can call

the three eyes infighting international

support and implementation after over

dictator hosne Mubarak Egypt found

itself at a Crossroads the revolution

had been led by labor unions secular

activists military factions in the

Muslim Brotherhood and while they all

agreed that Mubarak needed to go down

ideological disagreements showed the

cracks between them the moment the

Revolution was won see officially mub

passed on power to the Supreme Council

of the Egyptian Armed Forces who went on

to dissolve parliament and then pinky

promised definitely crossed my fingers

HHO to die SW or that they would only

hold on to power until things calm down

but then suddenly it's deao martial law

and when the Constitutional assembly is

finally allowed together the secular

politicians clash with the growing

islamist faction who disagree on whether

this new state should be based on

liberal human rights or the Quran and

the Armed Forces well they want to

enshrine themselves as the ultimate

executive Authority in the Constitution

and when the elections are finally

allowed to take place it's the islamist

Muslim Brotherhood who win with their

president Muhammad Mory taking power

needless to say chaos the leftwing labor

unions clash with conservatives the

secular with the Islamic the Christians

with the Muslims and Mory only last a

couple of years before being replaced by

the Army's presidential candidate in

2014 despite promising freedom of

expression and interplace brutality a

stable democracy and better working

conditions very few of these are at all

realized because of elite infighting and

there's been Democratic backsliding for

some years now even though it's in a

better place than it was before it's

still fallen short of a lot of those

aims the revolution did not ultimately

succeed because the Revolutionary masses

failed to keep United and continue their

push for change after mb's resignation

existing Elites particularly the

military have become the biggest

obstacle to change ideological

disagreement is especially poisonous for

revolutions given revolutions tend to

attract people of more radical

ideologies be it political extremism

religious extremism or ethnic EX

extremis M Stalin used the power

struggle between bolik leaders over

smaller and smaller ideological issues

to throttle the Revolution and

marginalize his competition till he

ended up with autocratic power in a

transition period like Revolution people

need to have faith in the institutions

and political system like democracy that

they're supposedly meant to hand over

power to but if they don't think that

they can achieve their aims what they

revolted to do through that new system

even something like democracy

why would they give up power to it you

got to remember that it's very easy for

a democratically elected leader to slide

into becoming a dictator disagreements

breeds gridlock gridlock breeds collapse

and collapse breeds chaos and War and

we're back on that cycle half measures

and civil unrest once more and often old

social religious and ethnic tensions are

going to Bubble to the surface again

revolutions are important forces in

society forcing change in static often

terrible systems but beating the

dictator is only the start and they've

got a long way to go before they're

really successful I know it's a ya book

but I've always admired how The Hunger

Games doesn't shy away from those

post-revolution difficulties

symbolically perhaps but it does

acknowledge them president coin assures

the world she will pinky promise cross

my fingers hope to die only take power

in her interim government until

democratic transition is possible Right

the revolution though turns on itself

pretty godamn quickly you know canis

ends up having to kill her people

espouse these values but when they want

to do stuff things like democracy can

suddenly become an obstacle I've said it

before and I'll say it again democracy

simply doesn't work but more than that

how do you deal with the significant

faction of people who are going to want

revenge on those who were in power and

not just the politicians and dictator

but the civilians aligned with them like

the Egyptian revolution wanted a public

trial for hosne Mubarak but what about

his supporters and the districts

publicly executed snow but coin wanted

to go further she wanted to hold a new

Hunger Games for the capital's children

there's revenge in that the people who

benefited from and perhaps supported

Snow's regime how far did the

punishments and trials go the

representatives their families the

people who profited from it the children

who happened to be benefiting if

revolutions are down ethnic lines then

they'll often end up targeting the

people who happen to be the same

demographic as those who were in power

even though they may not be directly

responsible but it's complicated because

they benefited from it and it's not

necessarily right for them to keep what

they have if it's down class lines well

let's just say the phrase eat the rich

is there for a reason so when you're

writing Revolution you're going to want

to figure out where these cracks start

to appear and importantly you're going

to have to figure out kind of one of the

only three ways that they deal with it

do they one compromise two are they

ousted or three do those aims get a che

counter revolutions like in 2014 ating

Mory are incredibly common you know

these factions turn on each other in the

struggle over who gets to decide what

this new world will look like well the

Hunger Games yeah it's not the most

complicated exploration of these issues

it does at least acknowledge them and

how they can threaten revolutionary aims

easily slipping into an oppressive cycle

this is kind of what happened with

Stalin as well despite the revolution's

aspirations of a democratic liberal

socialist republic ideologic iCal

disagreements LED Stalin to slowly

concentrate power in himself using the

chaos of the post-revolution world to

eliminate competition and undermine the

role of the Soviets till it was just him

the ideological disagreement prevented

the perhaps more popular other factions

from working against him and his rule

was a simpler way out of the chaos and

while people in Russia rightly wanted to

revenge against the uber wealthy Stalin

also used that desire to persecute

demographics he wanted marginalized

often against the aims of Lenin's

original reevolution

but it's not just ideological

disagreement the elite and Powerful will

often join a revolution in hopes of

gaining something else power or money or

position to stay within the circles of

power when they know it's coming and the

Egyptian Military can be read this way

Egyptian history is a record of the army

guarding the interests of the secular

State and their own Elite position in

the system of power the Supreme Council

of the Armed Forces did not intend to be

sidelined either nor did it want to lose

its self- ascribed role as the guarantor

of constitutional legitimacy and

security and be stripped of its economic

privileges in other words the military

could see the writing was on the wall

for hos Mubarak and wanted to ensure

that they weren't excluded from the

circles of power and so Revolution and

we can see this by the way in George AR

Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series

tywan Lannister doesn't revolt against

the manad king out of a sense of

morality or justice but because he's

been alienated from the circles of

tararan power and wants to get in on

Robert's new regime he knew that if he

didn't help then there was no chance of

it and taking King's Landing put him in

a powerful position to do so when the

Soviet Union fell Russian oligarchs saw

a huge opportunity to seize State assets

and make a ton of money and that's a

huge motivator you know they don't ever

care for pesky things like human rights

or the vision of the Revolution it's

about getting a better position from a

world falling apart chaos is a ladder

and the question is these Elites the

powerful the rich what happens when they

don't get what they want how does the

revolution survive without their support

without their money without their men

without their resources so don't just

think about how Elites might help the

revolution happen but where their

interests might diverge and what that

point of tension how you know how is

that resolved because it can lead to a

counterrevolution or an impotent

government or another civil war one

detail I really like and I think it's

the Mandalorian is that After the

Revolution after the evil empire is

overthrown we get all these evil

scientists and soldiers who have

committed atrocities what do you mean to

do with them well supposedly they're

sent to be rehabilitated and taught the

error of their ways but in reality the

rich and Powerful basically tell them in

secret oh we're just happy to have you

on our side you know on the side of the

Republic rather than it being about

Justice like the revolution claim they

instead bring them in make money off

them put them in positions of power and

use those skills again just from a

slightly different angle they

superficially supported the revolution

but spoil its aims when it comes down to

the Brass tax they don't care about

Justice Just money and power part two

International puppeteers many

revolutions live or die on International

support money people aid from other

countries and all too often this comes

in return for trade guarantees access to

Resort forces for their own security

interests I.E the entire cold war in

Korea Vietnam Angola Afghanistan

Nicaragua mosm Ethiopia Lebanon and a

myriad across South America over and

over Western Powers have stifled

communist revolutions with sanctions and

blockades and sabotage preventing them

from integrating with the International

Community I'm not saying we shouldn't

sanction North Korea but it is what has

been happening for decades and the

United States has been strangling Cuba

for a long time in the case of North

Korea their economy was intimately

reliant on aid from the Soviet Union or

after it fell now China see revolutions

put countries in really vulnerable

positions they're piss poor disorganized

they don't have the institutions or

Logistics that the other regime might

have had and they're struggling not to

slip back into chaos and in that

environment other countries come looking

for concessions and guarantees following

Libya's Revolution at the same time

during the Arab Spring France sent oil

companies to secure oil reserves that

they could not get to undera Gaddafi

French foreign minister at the time Ela

jup even said it was quote fear and

logical that those who supported the

revolution would get access to its oil

pressing their claim without the support

or not giving in to sometimes exorbitant

demands these revolutions might be left

to die before they're even given a

chance to see change but it also comes

across as giving up a lot of autonomy

and future investment and that does not

reflect well on the government

especially if they perhaps promised to

nationalize assets

sometimes revolutionary support and

weapons and Manpower and money is to

disrupt something like a nuclear program

or a new industry in the area or to

Simply depose a regime they consider

unfriendly like what happened during the

Cold War once that objective is achieved

then they might pull that Manpower and

money and Munitions and then the

revolution is left dead in the water

killing any momentum the revolution has

towards its goals and taking away any

security buffer that allows old powers

and squabbles to sweep back in and Chaos

part three implementation it's 1949 Ma

has taken Beijing and proclaimed the

People's Republic of China we know now

today and is pursuing new communist

economic policies focusing on peasant

lead collectivized farms and

decentralized communes to boost the

economy but it fails utterly these new

policies prove more difficult to

implement than he ever thought China

doesn't have the logistics to

reorganized people and resources on this

scale it doesn't yield what Ma thought

it would China lacks the technology to

really make it work but it can't afford

it because it's been at War for so long

and Ma refuses as an ideologue to let it

go and there's corruption at every level

down the command chain making it

difficult to know just what's happening

anyway in the ironically named Great

Leap Ford millions of people starve to

death in one of the largest man-made

famines in history people who make for

good revolutionaries for good generals

do not necessarily make for good

peacetime leaders so when World building

look for what we're going to call the

implementation gap between the aims of

the Revolution and the problems they may

not have considered do you have the tax

money to do what you want the votes the

bureaucracy the logistical and

infrastructure support you can promise

to raise the minimum wage but what does

that mean when your country is suddenly

struck with hyperinflation or you want

to raise taxes but the rich people can

just bribe their way out of that and the

judicial system that you're left with is

too fractured to deal with that in the

first place reorganizing Society is hard

and that's why a lot of revolutions will

try to do something big and ambitious

and aspirational and they will end up

doing it pretty poorly and of course

that just means that people look at the

Revolution and feel like it kind of

failed them like you can't do what you

promised if there's a massive gap

between the aims and implementation then

it can lead to counterrevolution and

throw the state into chaos once more

this is also something that's very

difficult for like left-wing Revolutions

in particular like a right-wing

Revolution you can sell off State assets

easy that's that destroying the state un

you know undoing what is is a lot easier

building up something new logistically

is very complicated especially if it

hasn't been tempted in the place before

this is also why there's a tendency for

revolutions to devolve into

dictatorships rather than democracies

democracies are complicated systems they

require a robust and sophisticated

bureaucracy to work I love democracy if

you don't have that you risk poisoning

democracy from the start military rule

on the other hand is cheaper and

logistically easier and often Rises out

of pre-existing structures you've

already got and the more you rely on

hard power the more entrenched those

people and that way of doing things

becomes a newborn Revolution still needs

to keep the people who keep them in

power happy and that can lead to some

pretty toxic relationships with the

military with the church with oligarchs

with the wealthy with other countries

even the big difference is that stable

democratic governments are self-

sustaining they're self-sufficient they

don't need to rely on oligarchs or the

like to keep them going at least you'd

hope so and you can actually say the

same of like a stable monarchy or

whatever but the point is how do you

achieve what you set out to do when

you're simultaneously having to

privilege this other group P Brown's Red

Rising series is a fantastic exploration

of all this like it has the main

character daro lead a revolution against

the oppressive system but then he finds

himself struggling with the complexities

of governance you know over and over his

mistakes make things worse with

different factions vying for power

leading to Revolution and counter

Revolution but Brown makes a point with

all of this dictatorships are less

complex systems you know it's easier for

them to rise out of a revolution than

democracy democracies need an informed

and engaged populace and if you corrupt

that they fall apart Darrow finds

himself in conflict with the Senate an

allegedly Democratic body but clearly a

flawed one and you want to know a weird

thing in 2019 a poll found 59% of

Russians felt the Soviet Union quote

took care of ordinary people and 66%

regretted its dissolution in 2012 38% of

Armenians said their country quote would

always need a leader like Joseph Stalin

and I spoke about this in previous

videos but people will IDE idealized the

past even autocratic undemocratic states

with a terrible record of Human Rights

abusers I mean we see this today with

people like idealizing the 1950s America

period which was an awful period for you

know women and people of color this is

because every regime is good for someone

and often more than you think it's no

surprise that Russians are more likely

to think Fally of the USSR when it was a

system which privileged Russian culture

language and people it's it's easy to

look back funly when you don't see or

just don't care about the terrible

things that other people or other

cultures had to endure at that time we

come up with ways to justify it we have

a very different narrative and often

times our identity you know is wrapped

up in that narrative and so we we want

to think positively of it but all of

this affects our relationship with the

past regime we're more likely to give it

the benefit of the doubt and it effects

how we see this revolution because we

see all the things that it's tearing

down and not just the new things that

it's building and hoping to do however

this positive view of past regimes also

comes from the implementation Gap

post-soviet countries often struggled in

the wake of the revolutions and the

ussr's dissolution the Soviet Union I

thought you guys broke up yes that's

what we wanted you to

think the transition to a market economy

often meant gutting social services and

a downtune economically for a time

especially when it came to pension

systems see the USSR had a sophisticated

and very generous pension system that

was a lot higher and often a lot better

than what we see today so people who

benefited from or worked for that were

very attached to it and and reasonably

so right these new Democratic liberal

governments promised better living

standards but weren't always able to

deliver and for a lot of people it's

kind of like well how good is it really

in some pretty awful cases some radical

groups will start start to blame this

decline of their quality of life on

women or minorities and that can lead to

some pretty dangerous ideologies I.E

fascism but also I want to point out

that I know it's easy for us sitting

here in our modern liberal Democratic

wealthy societies to sit here and

pontificate about the virtues of freedom

of speech and democracy and religion and

stuff but it's important to note that

like the vast majority of people around

the world just want to get by they want

food on the table and to feel safe and

when you think about why people don't

always just Revolt for this stuff it's

it's because of that they value

stability and revolutions are inherently

unstable things people kind of identify

with systems which they feel are just

kind of okay to them you know but you

can leverage all of these symtoms to

create some really interesting

relationships in your world building you

know the the community who believed in

the revolution and then find themselves

worse off the people who kind of were

fine with the autocratic regime but now

find themselves kind of again destroyed

and reminiscing about the past the

people who find themselves way better

off than before the people who didn't

used to clash but now because of the

Revolution are brought into conflict

with each other and also we've talked in

this video about revolutions as kind of

forces for positive change but that is

not always true military juns and coups

and revolutions are sometimes for very

bad oppressive ideology

it's easy for radical ideas to get

slipped in with more reasonable

justifications we see this a lot with

Islamic extremism mixed in with

anti-colonial discourse revolutions are

complicated and people are going to have

an interesting time internalizing the

Now versus the before and if you are

going for a negative Revolution how do

people think about the past how do they

memorialize it you know how do they feel

about it cuz I think Margaret Edwards

the handmaid's tale is just a brilliant

example of this and forgive the TV show

cover I'm so sorry I know this crime

cannot be forgiven Luke and I used to

walk together sometimes along these

streets we used to talk about buying a

house like one of these an old big house

fixing it up we would have a garden

swings for the children we would have

children although we knew it wasn't too

likely if we could ever afford it it was

something to talk about a game for

Sundays such Freedom now seems almost

weightless so you've just overthrown a

brutal dictator things I on the up but

you have no money you're not quite sure

who you can trust to actually enforce

your reforms and cracks are starting to

appear with your allies you try to start

new elections but local governments are

corrupt and only take orders from one of

the other factions your allies are

trying to seize property from the rich

but some of the wealthy on your side are

protesting the people who supplied your

weapons who do you side with you've

promised people jobs but you don't have

the money to pay them and now riots are

starting up and you have to send in

forces to keep the peace International

delegations are promising to support you

in exchange for your oil reserves but

you know it'll mean ousting your allies

and handing over resources you promised

you wouldn't before only if you don't

take power now it'll mean Bloodshed down

the line and suddenly you look

around and you have become the very

thing you swore to

destroy if you've got this far into the

video then you need to go pick up on

rting a World building volume 1 and

volume 2 we talk about Civil Wars and

Empires and how they work and fall and

volume 3 is coming at the end of the

year and we talk about so much more it's

great all the stuff all the wunning W

buing stuff we talk about in more detail

easy to reference book and it's gorgeous

isn't it but if that's not you consider

supporting me on patreon so I can keep

making this sort of stuff it's a lot of

work a lot of research and I very much

appreciate it you guys are amazing uh

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it means I can be less dependent on

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You links are down below thank you so

much so let's bring this all into a

revolutionary summary one ideological

disagreement can poison the

post-revolution world be it moderates

versus radicals extremist ideologies old

ethnic or sociological tensions or in

Elite infighting two Elites often Revolt

for very different reasons bringing them

into conflict with other factions in the

post-revolution world World

International support may help a

revolution but it's also often used as a

tool of disruption or coercion and

without it in the post-revolution world

the revolution may be dead in the water

sanctions or Co blockades May prevent a

new Society from succeeding

revolutionaries do not necessarily make

for good peacetime leaders some people

will idealize the past regime be it

because it benefited them because

implementation issues create the

impression of a failed Revolution or

economic woes thank you all stay Nery

patreon books and I'll see you in the

future

now

for