Conditions in Which a Group of People Begins Seriously to Entertain Alternative Possibilities - Coursework Example

Introduction Conditions in which a group of people begins seriously to entertain alternative possibilities Before people begin to seriously entertain alternative possibilities, there have to be felicity conditions. First, the political status quo should be awash with setbacks such as misrule, runaway corruption, disassociation from the will of the masses and dictatorship. With this kind of situation, it is inevitable that a larger section of the society will begin to question the viability of alternative options. Former Fulgencio Batista’s reign was characterized by these failures, prior to the advent of the Castro-led Cuban Revolution. According to Lebrun, the other factor which significantly compels people to begin seriously to entertain alternative possibilities is the locking out of processes and instruments of political power transitions. This is because institutional processes and instruments accord people with the chance to exchange a regime with one which appears by public judgment to embody better prospects for development, more effective representation of the people’s will and transparency and civil liberties and freedoms. This was the state of affairs in Britain, France and America before the English (1640-1660), French (1789-1799) and American Revolutions (1775-1778), respectively (Lebrun, 839-40). In most instances, there are bouts of political oppression in the run up to the revolution as a possible alternative. While the spates of state-perpetrated injustices may seem to hinder anti-government criticism at a casual glance and from the outset, it bolsters the envisioning of alternative possibilities, of which a revolution is one. Forces That Facilitate Revolutionary or Radical Considerations, and the Ones That Inhibit It According to Frero, there are different forces which facilitate the consideration of alternative possibilities. A powerful or liberated media is one force which may facilitate the consideration of a revolution. This is because, in the absence of government-instigated censorship, the media can air art, literature and political ideologies which are radical enough to inspire a revolution. Nevertheless, there has to be political setbacks such as misrule, corruption and undemocratic tendencies in order for the consideration of revolutionary thought to concretize in the mind of the public (Frero, 84). Another force which plays a pivotal role in the consideration of a revolution as an alternative is radical or revolutionary art, literature or political philosophy. A society wherein the masses are oppressed and socioeconomically exploited by the ruling class is bound to consider a revolution as the means by which it can bring about positive change upon interacting with radical political philosophy such as Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto where the masses are taught that all state instruments exist to be used against them so that the masses have no recourse to fighting for their rights, to overthrow the oppressive yokes of the bourgeoisie (Curtis, 99). Revolutionary art and literature may also facilitate the aforementioned considerations. This is especially the case when the target audience is the oppressed and exploited masses. In this case, ideas and art that is propagated by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) compel workers the world over, to consider and fight for their plight since they are one big union. The IWW also drew the black cat and uses the Black Cat symbol to signify Black Cat strikes and industrial sabotage. In a similar manner, it is not fortuitous that revolutionary elements and movements such as the 1968 Paris student riots have always used Jim Fitzpatrick’s poster of the Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara. The same piece of art has always been commonly used by the youth as a symbol of rebellion. The Black Panther Art has also been used as the organization’s logo and as a symbol of revolutionary movement. There are forces that may also inhibit the consideration of revolutions as the means by which political change can be achieved. For one, the government through the use of state apparatuses and instruments of coercion such as the police may suppress the revolutionary materials, art, literature and movement. Religion may also quell the revolutionary fire as the masses are taught to be less critical of the established political order, work harder, anticipate inheriting the riches of the coming kingdom and be devout patriots. The state-owned media may also serve as a formidable force against the revolutionary wave since through it, the government can fan its antirevolutionary and pro-government propaganda. How a Revolutionary Imagination Is Facilitated or Hindered A revolutionary imagination can be facilitated directly and willingly or inadvertently. A revolutionary imagination can be facilitated through the media. Liberalized media provide a wider threshold for the dissemination of revolutionary imagination, while a society in which media activity is gagged is less likely to sustain debates that may promote revolutionary thoughts. This is because liberalized media will disseminate information of Enlightenment doctrines of progress, evolution and change which may later spark revolutionary thoughts and movements. Revolutionary thoughts and imaginations may also be watered by wholesome educational curriculum. This is especially the case when the curriculum is comprehensive enough to include tenets such as what constitutes the right governance and civil liberties and freedoms. The import of this is that such educational curricula raise a more politically conscious public which takes its political destiny in its own hands. The extension of freedom of expression also further facilitates revolutionary imagination. This is because revolutionary speech, art and literature can only be disseminated in an atmosphere characterized by freedom of expression and civil liberties. The Arab Spring began from Facebook which has revolutionized communication. Revolutionary imagination may also be facilitated inadvertently by inept, corrupt and oppressive dictatorships or governments. This usually happens when the political leadership has deviated from the will of the majority and emasculates the instruments of political transition so that there is no mean by which the masses can elect a regime in place of another. In this case, revolutionary thoughts spring forth from the masses. The Arab Spring illustrates this standpoint since it was a culmination of people’s disgruntlement towards corrupt and unaccountable totalitarian governments. There are several means by which a state can attempt to hinder a revolution. First, it is important to appreciate the fact that the state will use tactics, depending on the stage that the revolutionary movement has already progressed into. If the revolutionary wave has ripened to a physical force, then the state will muster its instruments to quash the revolutionary movement. The state instruments that will be used at this instance are the instruments of coercion: the armed forces, particularly the police and the law. In regard to the immediately above, the law will be used to declare the physical congregation of the masses and mass action as illegal. The state in this case may declare a state of emergency or put the country or parts of the country under martial law. Parts of the country where the revolutionary wave is strongest or the epicenter of the wave will have the heaviest military or police presence. The rationale of the measure that the government will take is that the military will be able to quash and split the revolutionary crowd back into its homes. The separation of the people making up the revolutionary movement is in turn expected to weaken the resolve to carry on with the revolution. This strategy was used in Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989. In a closely related wavelength, the state may also use its armed forces to carry out a conventional war so as to quash the revolutionary movement. However, this is only in the case that the revolutionary wave is also armed. The United States Revolutionary War (1775-1778), the French Revolution (1789-1799) and Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and the English Revolution (1640-1660) are a perfect case study for this situation. In the American Revolutionary War, the American forces stood up against the British forces and representatives of Britain and the Queen in the thirteen colonies. In the French Revolution, the Frenchmen braved the military forces and instruments of coercion which were under the control of the dictatorial King Louis XVI. The situation was not any different in the English Revolution in which Parliament gainsaid King Charles I’s authority, engaged his army in a civil war and finally executed him in 1649 (McNeese and Crompton, 75). The same situation was replicated in former colonies such as Kenya which had to use armed struggle to gain independence; repossess their land from white settlers; establish their own governments and found their own republic. Nevertheless, the government or the state may use different stratagems to hinder revolutionary movements when such movements are still at their nascent stage. In this case, the state may attempt to indoctrinate the masses with nationalistic messages and themes. Values such as diligence, patriotism and respect to authority may be preached to the public. To this end, the state-owned media serves as a crucial tool, while defiant independent media outlets may be gagged or totally brought down. The Church and other religious outfits may be used by the state or the government to clamp down the revolutionary movement. In this case, the Church and religious outfits will be used to emphasize to the masses of the need to put on godly virtues such as obedience to the authorities (as is stipulated in Romans 13), being hard working and anticipating rewards from heaven and in heaven, since their conversion is of heaven and not of this world (Philippians 3:20). Although these statements hold true and are noble to the Christian faithful, yet they are used by the compromised Church, to stupefy the masses. As a side note, Christianity vouches not for the oppression of the poor by the ruling class but is on the contrary fundamentally concerned with social justice. The state may also use a spy network to thwart any chances for the revolutionary elements regrouping. The secret police may be used for this end. The government may also infiltrate the revolutionary group to undermine it from within and to eliminate or arrest the leaders of the revolution. Universities may be serious targets at this point. This strategy is always used in despotic set-ups as was the case with the Metternich System. The Metternich System was interested in entrenching dictatorships in Europe as an artifice to: stop the French revolutionary wave from suffusing to the rest of Europe; maintaining the balance of power in Europe; and restoring the legitimacy of power. Thus, in summation, the revolutionary idea or imagination may be hindered through the control and emasculation of the media, religious persuasion, controlling of the school curriculum and the use of state instruments of coercion. What Exactly a Revolutionary Imagination Can Achieve The strength of a revolutionary imagination is far much abounding and this can be seen in the manner in which it has disrupted political systems and placed with new ones and redrawn world politics. Before the English (1640-1660), French (1789-1799) and American Revolutions (1775-1778) took place, world powers were for the most part monarchies which cared less about the voice of the masses and their political participation. This was the case until people thought of a revolution as the means by which they could bring about a government that expressly expresses their will. The strength of the revolutionary imagination is not only illustrated by the manner in which it changed internal political systems from monarchies into world leading democracies (the United Kingdom is the epitome of Westminster democracy or parliamentary system while the US is the paragon of presidential system) but also revolutionized internal relations. Following the French War of Revolution, Alexander, Tsar Nicolas, Charles Talleyrand and Lord Castlereagh met to form the Concert of Europe or Metternich System. It is this system which facilitated the Berlin of Conference of 1884-6, the League of Nations and the United Nations. International relations and diplomacy axle on the arch-hegemon, the United States which is a product of revolutionary thinking. Conclusion: An opinion as to where the US as a society stands in this regard At the moment, the prevailing public opinion cannot be passed on as revolutionary or radical enough. This is because, majority of the US population feel that their will is expressed in political and administrative processes. The high rate of voter turn-out during general elections underscores the relative confidence that Americans have in their systems. As a democratic and arguably the most egalitarian society, workers’ rights and welfare are enshrined in the constitution. Occupy Wall Street Movement attests the disgruntlement that some Americans have towards political and economic decisions in the United States and the feebleness of the revolutionary thought. Works Cited Curtis, Michael. The Great Political Theories. Harper Perennial Modern Classic/ Avon Publishing, 1981. Print Frero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print Lebrun, A. Richard. “The People in French Counter-Revolutionary Thought.” The American Historical Review, 95.3 (1990): 839 – 840. Print McNeese, Tim & Crompton, S. Willard. Political Revolution of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries. Chelsea Foundation, 2005. Print Read More