An insurrection occurs when a large group of people revolt against those in power. In our language we use some synonyms for insurrection, such as rebellion, sedition, mutiny, uprising, revolt, insurgency or insubordination. These are different words to express a general idea: rebellion against some form of authority.
General characteristics of an insurrection
Regardless of the type of rebellion, in every insurrection there are some general features:
1) a group is very unhappy with their situation,
2) As a consequence, there is some kind of energetic reaction against the authorities that cause the discomfort and
3) the actions of the insurgents generate a conflict of interest between them and the authority.
On a small scale, a mutiny on a boat would be an act of insurrection against the highest authority, the captain. A popular revolt against a government would be a full-scale insurrection.
The general scheme described above is applicable to very diverse circumstances, such as revolutionary processes, military uprisings, civil wars, etc.
It can be affirmed that the majority of historical changes of great magnitude have been preceded by some movement of popular insurrection.
If we take the history of the 20th century as a reference, we find some insurrectional movements of great importance: the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the coming to power of the Communists in Cuba, the Spanish Civil War or the Tiannanmen massacre.
Some insurrections were victorious and a new political regime emerged from them. At times, actions of insubordination were stifled and defeated. In any case, the concept of insurrection is linked to the idea of revolution.
The causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917
The uprising of the Bolsheviks that ended up imposing a communist regime in Russia was not a spontaneous episode, but was the consequence of several factors.
First, Russia was at war with Germany during World War I, and the large number of Russian casualties brought the Tsarist government into disrepute. On the other hand, Russia was immersed in a serious economic crisis and with problems for the distribution of food. Third, the winter of 1917 was especially harsh and cold, and food shortages among the population became more acute. These three factors are key to understanding the insurrection of the communists led by Lenin.
Photos: Fotolia - poosan / nnv
