http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/revolution Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 06 May 2026 05:08:07 -0400 Wed, 06 May 2026 05:08:07 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1953/civil-military-linkages-and-authoritarian-regime-survival-during-the-arab-spring-understanding-different-outcomes-of-the-revolutions By Darya Maliauskaya - Strong linkages between autocrats and the military are often seen as a necessary condition for authoritarian regime survival in the face of uprising. The Arab Spring of 2011 supports this contention: the armed forces in Libya and Syria suppressed the mass protests, while the military in Tunisia and Egypt refused to engage in the counterinsurgency efforts. To better understand these divergent outcomes, the following paper examines the factors that affect civil-military linkages in authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa. The paper argues that there are three main methods through... Fri, 06 May 2022 09:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1953/civil-military-linkages-and-authoritarian-regime-survival-during-the-arab-spring-understanding-different-outcomes-of-the-revolutions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory By Linda Gao - Being a worldwide popular icon, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara has been differently re-appropriated by a variety of movements across the globe; but his reception and symbolization in contemporary China has been less discussed by western scholars. This paper examines the image and reception of Che Guevara in Chinese cultural memory from the 1950s to the present, revealing his manifold significations endowed by different social groups in various historical contexts. He evolved from a propagandized model of the socialist revolution and anti-American hero endorsed... Tue, 09 Feb 2021 02:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1872/the-role-of-the-media-in-the-cuban-revolution-resource-mobilization-theory-and-cultural-framing By Ezekiel Vergara - On January 1st, 1959, a small band of Cuban rebels shocked the world, overthrowing the American-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. These rebels were especially known for their guerrilla tactics and their leaders, such as Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Yet, aside from these military tactics and leaders, the Cuba rebels also tactfully utilized the media. Notably, Castro’s forces benefitted greatly from an article published in the New York Times. As such, this paper applies the theories of resource-mobilization and cultural framing to the New York Times’ article on... Fri, 05 Feb 2021 01:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1872/the-role-of-the-media-in-the-cuban-revolution-resource-mobilization-theory-and-cultural-framing http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1758/slavery-to-self-liberation-the-haitian-revolution-in-marxist-theory By Alexander J. Clegg - The Haitian Revolution of 1791 – 1804 was a successful slave rebellion in the French colony of Saint-Domingue that began in the wake of the French Revolution and went on to influence subsequent liberation movements for decades to come. The Saint-Domingue revolutionaries have been described as having "invented decolonisation" (Nesbitt, 2008: 9), thus making the newly independent Haiti "the first postcolonial state" (ibid.: 56) in 1804, an extraordinary achievement considering that only a few years before, Saint-Domingue had been the world’s most valuable colony. This essay examines... Wed, 06 Feb 2019 09:08 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1758/slavery-to-self-liberation-the-haitian-revolution-in-marxist-theory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1731/newspaper-coverage-of-the-mau-mau-movement-a-constructivist-argument By Esme Trahair - On February 14th, 1965, just one week before he was assassinated, Malcolm X delivered a speech in Detroit. He spoke about his beliefs concerning segregation and civil rights, and made a point of contextualizing the civil rights movement globally. Toward the beginning of the speech, he mentioned the Mau Mau in Kenya, and stated that they had "played a major role in bringing about freedom for Kenya, and not only for Kenya but other African countries," adding that "what [they] did frightened the white man."[1] He was not the only civil rights leader to speak of this movement,[2] and in fact,... Wed, 21 Mar 2018 02:47 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1731/newspaper-coverage-of-the-mau-mau-movement-a-constructivist-argument http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1632/arab-feminism-in-the-arab-spring-discourses-on-solidarity-the-socio-cultural-revolution-and-the-political-revolution-in-egypt-tunisia-and-yemen By Stephanie Maravankin - Over the last couple of decades, women-spearheaded social movements have mobilized to leave a lasting impression on civil societies across the globe. The Arab Spring challenged old ideas of oppressive regimes and signaled possibilities for change, originating in Tunisia and spreading to Arab countries throughout the Middle East. This paper explores the existing literature on political opportunity structure, resource mobilization theory, and framing theory as a means to understand the question: How did collective action frames during the Arab Spring shape the discourses on Arab feminism? My research... Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1632/arab-feminism-in-the-arab-spring-discourses-on-solidarity-the-socio-cultural-revolution-and-the-political-revolution-in-egypt-tunisia-and-yemen http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1548/the-power-of-symbols-the-ideological-representations-of-a-french-revolution-playing-card-deck-the-revolutionnaires By Joseph P. Zompetti - In The Rape of the Lock, Pope’s mock epic about a game of cards, we read that “mighty Contests arise from trivial Things” (I:2); and since the entry of this line into the English language, the word ‘trivial’ has been inextricably linked to the playing card. Utterly ubiquitous, playing cards blend comfortably into the background of experience as a way of passing time, and because they are used as randomisers or markers in games, playing cards are most often seen as a means to an end rather than the focus of attention. It is this ostensible triviality of cards... Wed, 01 Mar 2017 04:39 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1548/the-power-of-symbols-the-ideological-representations-of-a-french-revolution-playing-card-deck-the-revolutionnaires http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1542/reinterpreting-the-treatment-of-the-rural-population-by-perus-shining-path By Auston Stiefer - The Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) was founded as the Peruvian Socialist Party in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui after his analysis of the “semifeudal” Peruvian economic state, which did not strictly follow Marx’s socialist model.1 Just over 30 years later, the PCP began to radically transform under the teaching of Maoist thought by Abimael Guzmán, a philosophy professor at the National University of Haumanga and future leader of the party.2 Over the next two decades, the PCP renamed the Sendero Lumnioso (“Shining Path”) drew upon Mariá... Wed, 22 Feb 2017 11:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1542/reinterpreting-the-treatment-of-the-rural-population-by-perus-shining-path http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1458/the-polar-bear-expedition-of-1918--1919-interpreting-masculinity-through-the-eyes-of-a-soldier By James G. Partain - While historians argued over the reason for the expedition’s failure, from military problems, political problems, or a lack of a proper objective, what has not been discussed, however, is what the men on the expedition experienced. The human element of the story is left out. More importantly, how did they process their experiences when they returned home? To answer this question, I will examine a number of primary sources written by those present during the expedition. These sources will not only reveal how events on the Expedition were viewed by the men, but also how they viewed other countries... Tue, 11 Oct 2016 08:32 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1458/the-polar-bear-expedition-of-1918--1919-interpreting-masculinity-through-the-eyes-of-a-soldier http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1457/poetic-sovereignty-in-the-work-of-the-romantic-poets-self-determiniation-and-revolutionary-thought By Hayley E. Tartell - This essay first explores how Romantic poets William Wordsworth and Percy Shelley invoke the medium of language, specifically poetic language, to opine on the relationship between the reader’s sense experience and freedom. Subsequently, this piece delves into Romantic thinker Walter Benjamin’s analysis of Holderlin’s poetic language in order to reveal the power dynamics between poetry and the readership. Furthermore, by probing and fleshing out the work of Shelley, one can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of poetic sovereignty and its rootedness in themes of possession... Mon, 10 Oct 2016 08:45 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1457/poetic-sovereignty-in-the-work-of-the-romantic-poets-self-determiniation-and-revolutionary-thought http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1411/the-seeds-of-the-springtime-of-the-peoples-a-study-in-the-causes-of-the-revolutions-of-1848 By Saarang Narayan - Many historians point out that the Revolutions of 1848 were inspired by two other major events from the prior century: the French Revolution of 1789-1799 and the American Revolution of 1776. Seaman (1976) goes to the extent of arguing that all revolutions of the 19th century evolved from both these revolutions. He says that both of them taught two lessons to the people of Europe. The first was that any people could succeed in a revolution against their king. The second was that revolutions were the means to fulfill the dreams and desires of every nation. It must be noted, however, that he called... Wed, 25 May 2016 09:34 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1411/the-seeds-of-the-springtime-of-the-peoples-a-study-in-the-causes-of-the-revolutions-of-1848 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1326/the-historical-life-of-maximilien-robespierres-reign-of-terror By Saarang Narayan - And ever since, a debate has ensued regarding both the man himself and his acts as the virtual head of the Committee of Public Safety. This debate has found its way not only in historical circles, but also in philosophy, political theory and sociology. Throughout its historical life, the Jacobin Republic, under the dominance of the Montagnards (July 1793 - July 1794), has been praised, criticized and slowly brushed under the carpet. Its legacy, which at one time was debated furiously, has now more or less lost significance, even amongst the radical Left of this post-modernist, Fukuyamaist[2] political... Mon, 11 Jan 2016 02:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1326/the-historical-life-of-maximilien-robespierres-reign-of-terror http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1321/a-silent-dissonance-lgbt-rights-and-geopolitics-in-maidan-and-post-maidan-ukraine By Jesse Sanchez - A faceless speaker cries out in a crowded square. Around him is an uneven cacophony produced by an undefined group of people. Fires crackle, smoke soars, and skies blacken. These masses rush frantically toward a new world order beckoning lustfully, greedily with open arms. They rush toward a vision of a new Ukraine–a European Ukraine–no longer bound to a traumatic destiny with its neighbor Russia. A European Ukraine could spell infinite possibilities but, most importantly, is seen as an optimistic future for a Ukrainian nation scarred by centuries of foreign control. Unfortunately,... Fri, 01 Jan 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1321/a-silent-dissonance-lgbt-rights-and-geopolitics-in-maidan-and-post-maidan-ukraine http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1247/neither-can-live-while-the-other-survives-how-the-representation-of-the-syrian-conflict-neglects-the-citizen By Jessica C. Bridges - The power of heads of state and government officials is indisputable. The many faults of overreliance on the ‘demi-Gods’ of modern world politics could be listed and detailed with great delight, yet an ignorance of ‘real-world’ psychology would be remiss in the context. The major hazard to highlight, and add to the jumble of opinions already distributed, is this: a blind acceptance of a narrative provided by the two leading competitors for the prize of… (peace?) in Syria leads one down a dangerous path that bolsters a bellicose Waltzian ‘balance of power&rsquo... Thu, 22 Oct 2015 10:01 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1247/neither-can-live-while-the-other-survives-how-the-representation-of-the-syrian-conflict-neglects-the-citizen http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1044/the-arab-uprisings-and-the-blossoming-of-a-global-imaginary By Tristan Smaldone - The social uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that unfolded in late 2010 and early 2011 were the catalyst for a political awakening that soon after encompassed the globe. The same logic that allowed for localized social populism to flourish, in these cases, was at play in the subsequent blossoming of protest movements around the world. In Jacques Lacan’s terms, a ‘social imaginary’ or illusive unity was constructed, forming into a counter-hegemonic force of global proportions. This conceptual framework has been integrated into Ernesto Laclau and Chantel Mouffe’s discourse analysis... Mon, 01 Jun 2015 10:41 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1044/the-arab-uprisings-and-the-blossoming-of-a-global-imaginary http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1182/the-potential-benefits-of-early-neutral-intervention-in-revolutions By Thomas Sutton II - In the latter half of his essay, The Ethics of Revolution and Its Implications for the Ethics of Intervention, in addition to the widely accepted rationale for early, neutral foreign intervention into revolutions[i] — that early intervention by a third party into crises prevents many casualties — Buchanan provides two compelling arguments for the potential benefits of early intervention. He proposes that it can be used both to mitigate the continuous “cycle of coercion” that usually accompanies revolutions, and to establish suitable conditions for the free expression... Wed, 15 Apr 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1182/the-potential-benefits-of-early-neutral-intervention-in-revolutions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1022/transmitting-values-through-literature-considering-three-short-stories-of-chinese-revolution By Mohammed S. Ali - Yet what happens when one generation of writers attempts to turn the tide on the values instilled by the literature of a previous generation? This question is exlpored and answered in the consideration of three classics, each written by Chinese women in the Revolutionary era: Zong Pu’s Red Beans, Ding Ling’s Shanghai, Spring 1930, and Xiao Hong’s Hands. Answers are found in the transformations and clashes between the old bourgeois ideals and the new socialist ideals that play out in the worldviews of their protagonists. In their dramatizations of social change at the individual... Mon, 06 Apr 2015 08:48 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1022/transmitting-values-through-literature-considering-three-short-stories-of-chinese-revolution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1003/homonationalism-and-the-death-of-the-radical-queer By Haley D. O'Shaughnessy - When one analyzes recent LGBTQ advocacy, with its rhetoric of liberal normativity and visibility, the gay rights movement has chosen inclusion over revolution. Through the intersectionality of dominant forms, namely whiteness, patriarchy, and affluent consumerism, these series of political moments constitute homonormativity. While such advocacy has legally decriminalized and validated homosexuality, it has also accentuated state regulation of sexuality. As the construction of homonormativity was in reaction to the terrorist body, sexual tolerance becomes an alibi for necropolitical violence and... Tue, 03 Mar 2015 05:53 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1003/homonationalism-and-the-death-of-the-radical-queer http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/986/the-euromaidan-revolution-in-ukraine-stages-of-the-maidan-movement-and-why-they-constitute-a-revolution By Elias Kuhn Von Burgsdorff - What is “revolution”? Can the Maidan movement in Ukraine, which led to the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, be called a revolution? If so, what are the implications of calling the Maidan movement a revolution? While a “war of narratives,” as well as a civil war, is being fought over the legacy of Maidan and the future of Ukraine, this paper tackles these pressing questions by constructing a narrative of the events which unfolded in Ukraine between November 21st, 2013 and March 1st, 2014. This narrative is analyzed in four stages: revolutionary onset, popularization... Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/986/the-euromaidan-revolution-in-ukraine-stages-of-the-maidan-movement-and-why-they-constitute-a-revolution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/924/inequality-and-corruption-drivers-of-tunisias-revolution By Dor Srebernik - Many analysts argue that the reason Tunisia fulfilled a democratic transition is that their Islamist Ennahda party is more moderate and inclined toward civilian political order than its Islamist counterparts in other countries, such as Egypt. Ennahda’s willingness to engage in constructive dialogue with secularists in writing a constitution is viewed as the main factor behind the democratic transition. However, this popular approach underemphasizes the main driving forces behind the Tunisian revolution, which are the underlying economic inequalities and structure of the country’s patronage... Mon, 13 Oct 2014 05:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/924/inequality-and-corruption-drivers-of-tunisias-revolution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/891/the-international-military-police-and-the-allied-intervention-in-the-russian-civil-war By Christopher T. McMaster - In 1914 Russia was a powerful empire. It constituted a fundamental part of the European balance of power. However, years of bloody and costly war changed the nation by bringing to boil all the inequities and discontent built up under the Tsarist order. By 1917 up to two million men lay dead, with nearly three million more wounded and sick.1 In February of that year the Romanov dynasty was overthrown and a provisional government formed. Unwisely deciding to continue the fight against Germany, that government was likewise overthrown. On November 7, 1917 the Bolsheviks entered the Winter Palace and... Thu, 24 Apr 2014 11:12 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/891/the-international-military-police-and-the-allied-intervention-in-the-russian-civil-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/889/woodrow-wilson-and-the-american-expeditionary-force-to-siberia-1918-1920 By Christopher T. McMaster - Several explanations of Wilson’s actions have since emerged.1 Two interpretations see intervention as part of the Allied war effort, with the President portrayed as believing claims that the Bolsheviks were actually German Agents, or as acting in a way to steer his allies into supporting Russian ‘liberal nationalism’ against the threats of both Russian Bolshevism and German militarism.2 A third interpretation, offered by the former diplomat George Kennan, explains the dispatch of troops ultimately as an effort to rescue the beleaguered “Czech Legion,” which had just... Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/889/woodrow-wilson-and-the-american-expeditionary-force-to-siberia-1918-1920 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/697/napoleon-bonapartes-peak-of-military-success-ulm-and-austerlitz By John T. Allsbrook - Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military minds in the history of warfare. When Napoleon Bonaparte launched into a long series of wars known as the “Napoleonic Wars” with Europe in 1799, he was determined to extend the territorial boundaries of France and its revolutionary borders. Historians view the “Napoleonic Wars” as a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, which had significant impact on all of Europe and revolutionized European armies. With the modern creation of mass conscription, the French Empire quickly grew, as... Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/697/napoleon-bonapartes-peak-of-military-success-ulm-and-austerlitz http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1245/the-awakening-how-revolutionaries-barack-obama-and-ordinary-muslims-are-remaking-the-middle-east By Peter Bergen - One, why were we attacked? When Bin Laden talked to us in March of 1997, we asked him "why are you declaring war on the United States?" There were a lot of things he didn't say. He didn't say, "I'm attacking you because of your freedoms, I'm attacking you because of the first amendment, I'm attacking you because of the Supreme Court, I'm attacking you because of Hollywood, I'm attacking you because of your policies on homosexuals, I'm attacking you because of feminism," he didn't mention any kind of cultural issue at all. It was a foreign policy critique of the United States and basically there... Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1245/the-awakening-how-revolutionaries-barack-obama-and-ordinary-muslims-are-remaking-the-middle-east http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/624/dissent-protest-and-revolution-the-new-europe-in-crisis By Andrew R. Myers - The understanding of the political landscapes of current times varies widely in form and content. Some assure the larger community that threats of collapse are fear mongering in form and invalid in content. Others see a changing western world and radical departure in the ideologies of its inhabitants. Though this paper takes a negative view of the prospects for a stable, peaceful future, the tone only remains negative to expose the meaning of current events, to encapsulate the “vague” calls and attitudes of a movement protesting the current global situation. Europe, though perhaps... Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/624/dissent-protest-and-revolution-the-new-europe-in-crisis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/623/before-the-fall-calls-for-reform-prior-to-the-french-revolution By Melissa S. McHugh - Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot wrote, “Because it takes a long time before we are convinced of their inutility, foundations have sometimes become positively harmful before they have even been suspected of being useless.”[1] One could apply this reasoning to the French monarchy in the late 18th century, particularly in the reigns of Louis XV and his grandson, Louis XVI, neither of whom possessed the sheer intimidating will of Louis XIV. They still retained the traditional powers of the French monarch, but not the literal authority required to rule. They nettled with their Parlements and... Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:16 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/623/before-the-fall-calls-for-reform-prior-to-the-french-revolution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1062/who-drove-the-libyan-uprising By Alex Serafimov - During the armed conflict to topple Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, a common question for observers was “who are the Libyan opposition?” Indeed, for one scholar this was the ‘billion dollar question’,1 and, in the United States, it was a common concern.2 Conspicuously absent from most media discourse, and rarely discussed in narratives of the conflict, is who the armed militants and Libya’s new leadership are. Technocratic, neoliberal, exile and Islamist elements mingle under the moniker of “anti-Gaddafi forces” and the National Transitional Council (NTC), which... Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1062/who-drove-the-libyan-uprising http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1221/the-evolution-of-revolution-social-media-in-the-modern-middle-east-and-its-policy-implications By Taylor Bossung - Cyber-pessimistic scholars like Evgeny Morozov and Malcolm Gladwell dispute the notion that social media is a “magic pill” for the subjugated in the Middle East. Says Morozov, “The idea that the internet favors the oppressed rather than the oppressor is marred by what I call cyber-utopianism: a naïve belief in the emanicipatory nature of online communication that rests on a stubborn refusal to admit its downside.”2 Still, scholars and politicos like Clay Shirky and Nicholas Kristof suggest otherwise. Condoleezza Rice trumpeted the internet’s utility as a tool... Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1221/the-evolution-of-revolution-social-media-in-the-modern-middle-east-and-its-policy-implications http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/561/political-and-social-change-and-its-depictions-in-19th-century-french-and-english-caricature-decapitation-dismemberment-and-defecation By Ryan P. O'Donnell - This essay discusses the role of caricatures and cartoons in promoting political and social change during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The first section examines the caricature as an instrument of social change. The nexy section examines the development of caricature within France, and the subsequent attack of monarchical systems of government, leading to changing perceptions of the monarch figure and implications of censorship. The third section examines satirical caricature’s attack of the Church, and its questioning of both the role of religion in society and the differentiation... Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/561/political-and-social-change-and-its-depictions-in-19th-century-french-and-english-caricature-decapitation-dismemberment-and-defecation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1675/copernicus-galileo-and-the-church-science-in-a-religious-world By Nicholas P. Leveillee - Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei were two scientists who printed books that later became banned. Copernicus faced no persecution when he was alive because he died shortly after publishing his book. Galileo, on the other hand, was tried by the Inquisition after his book was published. Both scientists held the same theory that the Earth revolved around the sun, a theory now known to be true. However, the Church disapproved of this theory because the Holy Scriptures state that the Earth is at the center, not the Sun. As the contents of the Bible were taken literally, the publishing of these... Fri, 27 May 2011 08:09 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1675/copernicus-galileo-and-the-church-science-in-a-religious-world