Why did the Arab spring back a few years ago failed for the most part, the Iranian green movement didn't get the result it wanted, but the European revolutions (such as the French revolution, Revolutions of 1848) was able to reform a continent with conservative religion views and a set of dictatorship governments into a significantly more free and liberal region?
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2Exactly which "European Revolution" are you referring to in your question? I'm also not sure that the "Arab Spring" failed quite as much as you seem to believe.– CGCampbellCommented Mar 21, 2016 at 3:26
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@CGCampbell Revolutions between 1500 to 1900 such as the french revolution or revolutions of 1848– picoloCommented Mar 21, 2016 at 5:09
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4The Arab Spring is less than a decade old. Compared to the "European Revolutions" spanning multiple centuries, wouldn't you say that it was a smashing success? Or at least too early to tell?– congusbongusCommented Mar 21, 2016 at 5:22
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3Isn't it a bit too early to talk about 2011 as "history" ?! I guess it's best to answer this on Politics SE - espcially considering you asked the same question there.– BregaladCommented Mar 21, 2016 at 7:17
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4This question was cross-posted by the same user on both History SE and Politics SE: politics.stackexchange.com/questions/10288/…– clem steredennCommented Mar 21, 2016 at 8:59
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1 Answer
There were plenty of European revolutions which led to terrible casualties and not much democracy, both before and after the French revolution.
- The Hussite wars.
- The English revolution of 1688.
- The German revolutions of 1848/49.
- The Paris commune of 1870.
The revolutionaries simply tried again, or they faded away when conditions changed.
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3+1 - Europe switching from mostly monarchies to mostly liberal democracies was a long and exceptionally bloody process. It took the better part of 3 centuries, and is still going on at the margins. To riff on Bonhoeffer, cheap freedom is no more effective than cheap Grace.– T.E.D. ♦Commented Mar 21, 2016 at 13:45
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