What Does Simon Bolivar Mean By The French Revolutions?

The word revolution stems from the Latin “revolver”, meaning to “roll back”, which refers to a cyclical change. The modern definition of the term was established by the French Revolution of 1789. It therefore signifies a dramatic evolution of the power in place, that power being destroyed and renewed, on social, political, economic and cultural scales (Heywood, 2000). The Marxist theory of this concept affirms that revolutions are “the inevitable consequence of the structure of society” (Cohan, 1975). Society undergoes constant changes due to modernization, which therefore generates revolutions. The political system in place is found to no longer be in concordance with the economic and cultural characteristics of society, which leads to
an outbreak. Revolution is thus seen as a way of re-structuring society (Kumar, 1971). Revolutionaries are the people who actively promote and/or are engaged in the dramatic changes that a revolution brings. This is an interesting issue to assess as it is of current interest in many countries. Revolutions are a recurring process, and are therefore a modern topic to debate. It is important to acknowledge what triggers them and whether or not their principal actors play a fundamental role in them, to know to which amplitude they can influence a nation. To what extent are revolutionaries involved in revolutions? We will look at three different examples of revolutions: the Latin American

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revolutions, the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution; and assess the role played by the revolutionaries.

Our first case study is that of the various revolutions in the Americas.
Simon Bolivar was a Venezuelan revolutionary who helped Latin America obtain its independence from the Spanish Empire. The political and military leader is today considered to be one of the most significant in the Americas’ history. He played a key role in many countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Bolivar began his military career by accessing the military academy of the Milicias de Vergauas. In 1805, he climbed the Monte Sacro in Rome and made the oath to not give up on his mission to break from the domination of the Spanish Empire until accomplished: “I swear by the God of my fathers, I swear on their graves, I swear by my Country that I will not rest body or soul until I have broken the chains binding us to the will of Spanish might!” (Chavez, 2009). He returned to Venezuela in 1807, where the country’s emancipation began after the coup of the 19th of April 1810. They obtained their independence on the 5th of July 1811, and Bolivar begins to show his military strengths against the Spanish’s allies in Latin America. But the population was not convinced of why they should fight for their independence. He then multiplies his conquests in Colombia, enabling him to gain more troops to go on and obtain independence for the Western part of Venezuela. Upon his arrival in Caracas, he establishes
a
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government close to that of a dictatorship, in order to compete with the royalists. Following a crushing defeat at Carabobo in 1814, Bolivar is forced to flee his country. He opts for a completely new perspective on the liberation of the Americas: he chooses to rely on more remote areas rather than attacking the capitals where the central power lies. The revolutionary proclaims the new state of Colombia, of which he is voted President. He accumulates the military victories but faces his greatest challenge yet upon his arrival in Peru. He is seen as a negative presence according to the Republicans, who choose to unite with the Spanish Empire in order to get rid of Bolivar, more disheartened than ever. He makes a miraculous recovery in Northern Peru, forms an army and marches onto Ayacucho where he defeats the royalists. This significant combat marks the definite emancipation of South America. This struggle for independence portrays how important a revolutionary’s role is fundamental in a revolution. Simon Bolivar united the South Americans in order to lead them to emancipation. On many occasions, his leadership was challenged by people who did not believe in his ideas, did not follow them or consider them valuable enough, or who were against his principles. His perseverance led masses of people to their countries’ independence.

Our second example is the French Revolution. From 1789 to 1799, it was a time of fundamental social and political change for the country. It
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altered French history in a radical way, with France witnessing a transition from a monarchy to a democracy.
Maximilien de Robespierre became the most influential figure of the Revolution. Born in Arras, he was a lawyer, choosing to represent the lower class, before becoming a politician. His role as a revolutionary began in 1789, when he was elected deputy of the bourgeoisie. He moved to Versailles, where he got involved with the Jacobin Club. He declares himself to be favorable to universal suffrage in 1971. He also makes his first demands regarding democratic principles: freedom of opinion, of the press, political equality for all citizens, the abolition of slavery, and of the death penalty. Following the Girondist party’s claim that France should go to war with Austria, he also attempts to oppose himself to this declaration of war, but to no effect. Once the war declared, Robespierre feared the uprise of counter-revolutionists. Following France’s destructive defeats at the beginning of the battle, the revolutionary apprehended a possible military coup d’etat, notably by the Marquis de Lafayette who communicated his urge to abolish the Jacobin Club. Robespierre’s foremost objective was to suppress the monarchy. On the 10th of August 1792, an insurrection of the Tuileries Palace was lead to overthrow the King’s reign. Following this event, he demanded the degradation of the King, the formation of a revolutionary tribunal and the election of a national Convention by
universal suffrage. Robespierre was then elected first deputy of this Convention for Paris. He was highly criticized by the Girondist party, who
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claimed he wanted to establish a dictatorship. He defended himself and his party, and the French Republic was declared on the 21st of September 1792. The King was executed a couple of months later on the grounds of conspiracy. France entered into a period of political conflict between the Jacobin party and the Girondin party, named the Reign of Terror. Robespierre’s political influence increased immensely but the civil war persisted. The Jacobin party replaced the Committee of General Defense by the Committee of Public Safety, whose leader became Robespierre. On economic and social scales, he encouraged a series of measures in favor of the proletariat. But many executions were conducted during this period, for those who were not fervent revolutionaries. His tyranny is denounced and the French population started to turn against him. Robespierre was executed on the 28th of July 1794. We can conclude that although Robespierre’s dictatorship brought terror to his country, he also played a huge role in the French Revolution. The revolutionary enacted freedom of speech and of thought, the abolition of privileges, installed a democracy, and saw the creation of the Declaration of Human Rights. Maximilien de Robespierre’s struggle devised all the bases of our modern day democracy, formulated most of its principles. Without them our society would not have the same foundations and could possibly be radically different.

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The last case study is that of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which saw a fundamental transformation of the country, transitioning from a semi-capitalist state to a social one. The reign of Tsar Nicholas II was put to a stop, and the proletariat gained access to the state power. The leading figure of The Great October Socialist Revolution was Vladimir Lenin of the Bolshevik Party. The revolution was triggered by the discontent of the working class, who were paid minimal wages, leaving them in extreme poverty, had very little protection in the mines and factories, and were continually controlled by the restrictive state (Berberoglu, 2007). In February 1917, the workers held many demonstrations and strikes. The Tsarist Government was overthrown, Tsar Nicholas II having abdicated. The monarchy was replaced by the Russian Provisional Government. Vladimir Lenin did not participate in the February Revolution as he was living in exile in Zurich. He returned to Russia in April, greeted by the proletariat at the Finland Station of Petrograd. From then on he undertook his role of leading figure of the revolution at the head of the Bolshevik party, composed of the revolutionary workers of Russia. His ideas on how to run his party were expressed in April Theses (composed in 1917 on his voyage back to Russia). During the course of the July Day riots, the proletariat continued to express their lingering dissatisfaction and maintained the riots. Once these were suppressed, they were blamed on Lenin and his party. The Bolshevik party was thus banned by the Provisional Government, forcing Lenin to flee to Finland. This series of
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events motivated him to overthrow the Government, in order to prevent counter-revolutionary power from being victorious. By the time Lenin returned to Russia, conviction in the Provisional Government had been severely dismayed. The Bolshevik leader coordinated the removal of the Government and the capitulation of the political commanders, empowering the Bolshevik party in Russia. They were officially elected into power at the end of October by the Congress of Soviets, and Lenin became the head of government. The proceedings of these actions display how important revolutionaries are in revolutions. In a time of social discontent, everyone expected a revolution but no one was certain of its timing or form. Lenin was a key figure in organizing and uniting the workers of Russia to claim their rights as they were living in such miserable conditions. He led the way to the revolution. This revolution is one of the most well-known when discussing the struggle of the proletariat for rights equal to those of the bourgeoisie.

Our modern world has been structured on a number of fundamental events. The whole process of revolutions is sparked by the fragile background of a society on a social, political, economic and cultural scale. A background where the weak regime cannot meet external challenges (Skocpol, 1979). Their main actors are revolutionaries, who play a key role in these revolutions. In times of instability and struggle, people need to follow a leader to feel more secure. When society is collapsing,
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revolutionaries step in to influence nations and guide them towards their own idea of a new and improved society. The revolutionaries commence the movement of rebellion and are therefore key actors who play a fundamental role in past revolutions. The question we could ask ourselves is whether the modern day revolutions we are going through today have the same aspect; whether or not they follow the same patterns, and have one specific revolutionary to lead the way or if their form has evolved.