Een half millennium oorlog, burgeroorlog en oproer. Besprekingsartikel

Samenvatting

A Half Millennium of War, Civil War and Rebellion. A review essay on a book by Charles Tilly, European Revolutions, 1492-1992 (Oxford, 1993). Tilly views revolutions as great social conflicts, avoiding the mantle of romanticism often accompanying many historical studies. Key themes include state formation: the historical formation of the proletariat, and the centralization of power. He gives special attention to the accelerated pace of state formation accomplished through direct rule common from 1750 to 1850. Revolution is defined as a forced transfer of state power where at least two groups of opponents seek to control the government and where each group has at least a measure of popular support. Three main types of revolutions are distinguished: (1) state formation, eg, the Liberation Wars of the Low Countries; (2) ethnic conflicts, eg, the Balkan region: and (3) decentralization tendencies, eg, the Spanish Civil war. The omission of the Reformation and nationalism is criticized. 4 References. M. Meeks