What Makes a Revolution Successful?
The factors that need to come together for a successful revolution in the modern world.
Armenia's recent successful uprising is being celebrated as unprecedented for a former Soviet state. The so-called “velvet revolution” began on the last day in March with a protest walk. It ended two weeks and 100km later with the government overthrown.
Yet revolutions rarely triumph.
In this Inquiry we look at the factors that need to come together for such a revolution to succeed. Do they always need to be bloody and brutal or can non-violence resistance be as effective? How important are state institutions like the military to determining success? And what role do international relationships have to play?
(Photo: Supporters of Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan celebrate at the central square of Yerevan, 2 May 2018. Credit: Vano Shlamov/AFP)
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- Thu 17 May 201802:06GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 17 May 201803:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia & East Asia only
- Thu 17 May 201806:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Australasia only
- Thu 17 May 201807:06GMTBBC World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Thu 17 May 201814:06GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Thu 17 May 201819:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Mon 21 May 201803:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Mon 21 May 201805:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia
- Mon 21 May 201806:06GMTBBC World Service East Asia
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The Inquiry
The Inquiry explores the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world
