Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (Dec 2020)
On Revolution: What is Revolution? What are the Differences that Distinguish Revolution from Other Forms of Political Violent?
Abstract
Revolution is one of the most ambiguous concepts in the history of thought. There are several reasons why a clear definition of the revolution cannot be made. First, scholars point to a different side of the revolution. Second, the revolution is used as an umbrella concept. Revolution is used as a form of political violence that includes rebellion, coup, and civil war. These two factors make it difficult to give a clear definition of the revolution. In this work, we will propose an alternative reading of revolution to overcome these problems, at least to some extent. This reading draws attention that the revolution has two fundamental usages: classical usage and modern usage. The classic use of the revolution also includes other forms of political violence, such as rebellion and insurrection. The classical use of the revolution we have seen since Ancient Egypt continued until the 18th century. With the 18th century, the concept of revolution reached its modern content and started to be used in the sense of creating a new society based on the radical rejection of the past. The modern content of the revolution may be more revealing in showing the difference between the revolution and other forms of political violence. We believe that such a reading of revolution can offer a more satisfactory answer to what revolution is, by sharply revealing the differences between revolution and other forms of political violence.
