The hottest Revolutions Substack posts right now

Mass protests in Iran mirror the 1979 revolution, with widespread anger at a repressive, corrupt leadership and calls for the clerical rulers to step down.
The current regime is more determined and willing to use violent repression than the Shah’s was, so the outcome of the uprising is uncertain and expectations should be cautious.
Economic chaos and mismanagement are a key vulnerability for the regime that could make it more fragile despite its greater repressive capacity.

In software design, there are ordinary phases (small changes) and revolutionary phases (fundamental changes) - understanding when each is needed is important.
Revolutionary design violates the open/closed principle by requiring new elements and relationships that don't fit with the existing design.
Revolutionary changes in design require different values and care compared to ordinary design - they are essential for accommodating new types of features.

Revolutions rarely create truly new systems; they often reuse existing coercive institutions and end up as repressive as what they replaced.
Revolutions demand unity but are driven by competing factions, and that internal conflict commonly leads to violence, terror, and the collapse into tyranny or chaos.
Passionate ideas about identity, anti-imperialism, or spiritual politics can mobilize people, but the gap between revolutionary fantasy and everyday governance usually produces failure, while pluralistic liberal arrangements tend to be more stable.

Thomas Cochrane was a rogue and performer who applied explosives wisely to solve problems
He executed brilliant plans that others thought too dumb to attempt, leading to unexpected success
Cochrane was a man of uncompromising principles and leadership, showing the power of perseverance and creativity

The 1979 Iranian Revolution set off events that may lead to more revolutions in the region. People are wondering if the current Iranian government could be next to face a challenge.
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria seemed surprising but was also expected by some. The future of Syria is uncertain, and things will definitely change from now on.
Iran and Russia are major losers after their support for Assad. They invested a lot of time and resources but are now facing setbacks in their influence over the Middle East.

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Lenin believed in taking action to spark a revolution instead of waiting for a natural progression in society. He thought the working class needed a push to rise up against the ruling class.
Leftist thinkers often feel frustrated because they expect a revolution to happen any time now, but that moment seems to delay indefinitely. Recent events are sometimes misinterpreted as signs of that needed uprising.
The motivations behind recent violent actions are complex and not always tied to broader class struggles, making it hard to see them as a beginning of widespread change against capitalism.

Russia’s 1917 upheaval mixed long-term inequality and wartime collapse with a spontaneous February revolt that was later seized by a small, well-organized Bolshevik party in October.
The Bolsheviks consolidated power through careful planning, political violence, and institutions like the Cheka, crushing rivals and imposing Soviet rule across diverse national and social groups.
The Soviet approach left a lasting legacy: chaotic 1990s privatization helped create oligarchs, and Putin revived security‑state instincts, favoring insider rule, secrecy, and suppression of dissent.

Intellectuals and ordinary people suddenly became active participants, risking their lives and acting as a public conscience rather than staying in safe academic or professional roles.
A protest becomes a revolution when enough people cross an invisible threshold—willing to die, losing normal sense of time, and temporarily suspending old political divisions to act together.
The Maidan was driven by a demand for recognition, truth, and an end to arbitrary rule and corruption, and it was widely misunderstood abroad, which left participants wanting moral solidarity more than military intervention.