There have been countless revolutions, but in this research paper we will only be dealing with the causes of the French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions and the similarities between their causes. Before starting, it is pertinent to define what a revolution is and what causes revolutions.
The word revolution has different meanings depending on the context it is used in. It can have any one or all three meanings at the same time:
• the overthrow or repudiation of a regime or political system by the governed
• (in Marxist theory) the violent and historically necessary transition from one system of production in a society to the next, as from feudalism to capitalism
• A far-reaching and drastic change, esp. in ideas, methods, etc.
Let us take a
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In 1911, the bourgeois democratic revolution (the Xinhai Revolution) led by Sun Yat-sen abolished the feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China, therefore starting the modern history of China. When Sun Yat-sen died Chiang Kai-shek took his place and built up the nationalist army. With his army he reclaimed Chinese land from other countries. Then the Nationalist Party split forming a Communist party who believed that the peasants should have a say in the government. Chiang Kai-shek disagreed with this and sided with the wealthy farmers. He then forced all the communists into a small area in southern China. The exiled Communists led by Mao Zedong started an exodus to Yan’an in North-western China. This 6,000-mile trek is known as the Long March, and only 8,000 of the 100,000 communists survived. Mao’s policies regarding land appealed to the peasants which made up a large percentage of the population. In 1949 with the support of the peasants, the Communists drove Chiang Kai-shek and his followers to Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party established the People's Republic of China. Around 1966 Mao decided that not enough people were supporting his government, so he decided that the country needed a Cultural Revolution. He got college students and young people involved in destroying the past. They tore down architecture that was representative of the past. The destroyed art and books from the days of the emperors. Mao also put together the Red Guard which questioned people about the allegiance to the communists and even jailed or executed individuals who they thought were not good communists. However in 1968 Mao put a stop to the Cultural Revolution feeling it had gone too