posted
Red-on-white St. George's cross + white-on-blue St. Andrew's cross + red-on-white St. Patrick's cross. He didn't say that only countries that have had revolutions have red, white, and blue.
Though, in all fairness, Britain had a revolution, even if it did only last ten years.
And, also, I'm not agreeing w/ the original statement. Mexico, for example, has a red, white, and green flag, not red, white, and blue.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote: Though, in all fairness, Britain had a revolution, even if it did only last ten years.
Don't forget the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
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posted
Well, I'm not sure it counts as a real revolution unless a government is overthrown, or someone at least attempts to do so.
I suppose we could include the Gunpowder Plot, which would have been something of a revolution, if Guy Fawkes and his bunch hadn't been totally ineffectual.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
But we get to light bonfires now. So everything worked out for the best.
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Registered: Mar 1999
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quote: Well, I'm not sure it counts as a real revolution unless a government is overthrown, or someone at least attempts to do so.
Well, it did kinda as in the system of govt was changed. And it can be argued that the American Revolution wasn't a 'proper' revolution or only a kinda half revolution (best way I could describe it).
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
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posted
It's always confused me how the American Revolution can be a revolution, and the US Civil War can be a civil war, when there's no real difference between them, in terms of what they basically were: one part of a country fighting for secession from the rest. Unless it's because the colonies were, well, colonies, while the CSA had been actually part of the country. But it doesn't seem like a big enough difference.
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posted
Hate to cause trouble, but if an unsuccessful revolution is called a civil war, then what is the definition of a rebellion?
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posted
Hmmm, then whats a coup?
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
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posted
Seizing of a government without popular support to bolster your cause. If you have support of the populace, then it's an insurrection that can become a revolution. But if it's primarily military-based, then it's a coup.
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Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
That makes sense. But then, to take a given example to an extreme, then what if the Confederates had separated and stayed a democratic state? Going by Sol System's definition an unsuccessful revolution is a civil war, then a successful one would be just a revolution? By my personal measure , a revolution has to involve a fundamental change in the way people are governed....and that still wouldn't have fit really. I guess there's "War of succession" but that always felt like an adjective rather than a classification.
Or differently, if they had taken over the Union and reinstituted a system of democracy more favourable to the south. What would that be? A coup? A revolution? Just plain messed up?
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I think a revolution is usually the overthrowing of a government (or an attempt to do so). So, really, the American Revolution ought to qualify as a civil war, I think.
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