"An Old World revolution is only a movement around a motionless centre; it never breaks out of the circle. Firm in the centre is [[Belief]] in Authority." Rose Wilder Lane ![[Revolutions.jpg.png]] “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first.”  ― Jim MORRISON “If I can't dance to it, it's not my revolution.”  ― Emma Goldman “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.”  ― [[Aristotle]] “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ― John F. Kennedy “Civil [[Government]], so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.”  ― [[Adam Smith]] “There is no final one; revolutions are infinite.”  ― Yevgeny Zamyatin, We ## Historical Evolution from Pre-French Revolution to the Present **Left vs. Right Dynamics: The terms _left_ and _right_ originated during the French Revolution, describing the seating arrangements in the Estates-General: radicals seeking [[Change]] sat on the left, while conservatives defending tradition sat on the right. Over [[Time]], these dynamics evolved into ideological distinctions that permeate political discourse globally. Below is an outline of these dynamics across historical periods. **Pre-French Revolution: Precursors to Left and Right** While the terms _left_ and _right_ didn’t exist before the French Revolution, the ideological divide was already present in conflicts over power, governance, and [[Society]]. **Leftward Dynamics: Push for Change** • **English Civil War (1642–1651)**: The Parliamentarians (aligned with the “left” in principle) opposed royal [[Absolutism]], advocating for a constitutional [[Monarchy]] and more representation. • **Enlightenment Thinkers (17th–18th Century)**: Philosophers like Rousseau, Voltaire, and Locke challenged traditional hierarchies, advocating for liberty, equality, and rational governance. **Rightward Dynamics: Defence of Tradition** • **Monarchism and Divine Right of Kings**: The belief that kings derived authority from God underpinned absolutist regimes, aligning with “right” principles of preserving [[hierarchical]] structures. • **Counter-Reformation (16th Century)**: The Catholic Church’s efforts to reaffirm traditional authority against [[Populist|Protestant]] reformers can be seen as an early form of conservative reaction. #### **The French Revolution (1789–1799): Birth of Left and Right** The French Revolution institutionalised left-right dynamics in its political struggles. ###### **The Left** • Represented by the Jacobins, sans-culottes, and radical democrats. • Advocated for the abolition of monarchy, universal suffrage, social equality, and [[Secularism]]. • **Key Event**: The abolition of the monarchy and the Reign of Terror (1793–1794), radical efforts to restructure society. ###### **The Right** • Represented by monarchists, clergy, and aristocrats. • Defended the monarchy, the Church, and traditional social hierarchies. • **Key Event**: The counter-revolutionary uprisings in the Vendée, opposing radical changes to the social order. #### **19th Century: Post-Revolutionary Era and Industrialisation** The left and right became more defined through responses to industrialisation, [[Nationalism]], and imperialism. **The Left** • **[[Socialism]] and Marxism**: Socialists like Marx and Engels critiqued [[Capitalism]] and sought workers’ control of production. • **Key Events**: • The Revolutions of 1848, pushing for democratic reforms across [[Europe]]. • The Paris Commune (1871), an early experiment in socialist governance. **The Right** • **[[Conservatism]]**: Edmund Burke and others sought to preserve traditional values and oppose revolutionary upheavals. • **Key Events**: • The Congress of Vienna (1815), aiming to restore pre-revolutionary monarchies. • Support for colonial empires, viewed as upholding European supremacy. **20th Century: Ideological Extremes and Global Conflict** The left-right spectrum expanded with the rise of new political ideologies. **The Left** • **Communism**: The Bolshevik Revolution (1917) established the Soviet Union as a communist state. • **Social Democracy**: Movements in Europe blended socialism with liberal democracy, advocating welfare states. • **Key Events**: • The New Deal in the United States (1930s) as a left-leaning response to economic crisis. • Post-WWII decolonisation movements, often framed as leftist struggles for liberation. **The Right** • **[[Fascism]]**: Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany embodied extreme right-wing ideologies, emphasising nationalism and authoritarianism. • **Conservatism and [[Neo-liberalism]]**: Reaction to socialism and communism, advocating free markets and individual liberties. • **Key Events**: • The rise of Thatcherism and Reaganomics in the 1980s, promoting deregulation and privatisation. **21st Century: Contemporary Left vs. Right** In the modern era, left and right continue to be defined by divergent approaches to economic policy, social justice, and governance. **The Left** • **Progressive Movements**: Advocacy for climate justice, LGBTQ+ rights, racial equity, and wealth redistribution. • **Key Events**: • Occupy Wall Street (2011), symbolising leftist critiques of economic inequality. • Global climate protests, often led by left-aligned organisations. **The Right** • **Nationalism and Populism**: Focus on sovereignty, traditional values, and limiting globalisation. • **Key Events**: • Brexit (2016), framed as a conservative reclaiming of national sovereignty. • The rise of right-wing populist leaders like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. **Thematic Trends Over Time** 1. **Economic Policy**: • Left: Redistribution, welfare states, and critiques of capitalism. • Right: Market liberalism, property rights, and deregulation. 2. **Social Change**: • Left: Advocacy for equality and dismantling traditional hierarchies. • Right: Preservation of cultural, religious, and national traditions. 3. **Global Order**: • Left: International solidarity and anti-imperialism. • Right: National sovereignty and defence of established powers. This historical alignment of left and right reveals recurring patterns of struggle between forces of change and forces of preservation, shaping the trajectory of global politics. --- There are several books that explore the cultural and political upheavals of the 1960s, particularly in the West, and examine why revolutionary movements ultimately failed or were blocked. Here are some key ones: General Overviews of the 1960s and its Limits • Mark Kurlansky – 1968: The Year That Rocked the World (2004) A global history of the protests and uprisings of 1968, covering events from the U.S. to France, Czechoslovakia, and Mexico. It looks at how these movements were ultimately contained or repressed. • Arthur Marwick – The Sixties: Cultural Revolution in Britain, France, Italy, and the United States (1998) Examines the cultural transformation of the decade but also discusses how establishment forces absorbed or neutralised radical elements. • Richard Vinen – The Long ’68: Radical Protest and Its Enemies (2018) A detailed history of 1968 and the broader radical movements of the era, including how resistance from the state, police, and even some within the left contributed to their failure. Books on How Revolutionary Hopes Were Blocked • Kristin Ross – May ’68 and Its Afterlives (2002) Focuses on the French uprisings of 1968 and how their radical potential was later co-opted or erased from mainstream historical memory. • Daniel Cohn-Bendit & Gabriel Cohn-Bendit – Obsolete Communism: The Left-Wing Alternative (1968) A firsthand critique from leaders of the May ’68 movement on how traditional left-wing structures helped prevent revolution rather than advance it. • David Farber – The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (1994) Looks at the U.S. context, including the way state power, internal divisions, and economic forces helped prevent deeper social change. • Jeffrey C. Isaac – The Poverty of Progressivism: The Future of American Democracy in a Time of Liberal Decline (2003) Not exclusively about the 1960s, but it discusses how radical movements were neutralised and absorbed into a more moderate liberal framework. On Repression and Counter-Revolution • Frances Stonor Saunders – Who Paid the Piper?: The CIA and the Cultural Cold War (1999) Investigates how U.S. intelligence agencies actively worked to shape and limit the cultural revolutions of the 1960s. • Ward Churchill & Jim Vander Wall – Agents of Repression: The FBI’s Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement (1988) Looks at COINTELPRO and state surveillance as key factors in dismantling radical movements in the U.S. • Philip Agee – Inside the Company: CIA Diary (1975) A firsthand account by a former CIA officer, showing how intelligence agencies worked to suppress left-wing movements in the 1960s and beyond. Would you like recommendations focused on a particular country or movement?