People discuss the pros and cons of a revolution with enthusiasm but without understanding and knowing its meaning, its causes, character and consequences. There is an assumption that the Pakistani society has reached such a state of degradation, corruption and degeneration that it is not possible to reform and repair it anymore. Therefore, a revolution seems to be the only solution to abolish the outdated system and transform the society within a short span of time. This however, is a romantic view.

A revolution cannot occur without making efforts to prepare the ground and create an environment which would take a long time for it to erupt. There are three models of revolution in recent history: the French, the Russian and the Chinese. All these three revolutions followed a different blend of ideas, different leaders and different circumstances in which they took place. The French revolution was the product of enlightenment and the ideas and thoughts of philosophers. It was spontaneous and without any specific planning or direction. As the revolution proceeded, it changed the society according to the different policies of the revolution.

The leaders of the revolution kept changing at every new stage. There was no single leader who directed the revolution from the beginning to the end. The most radical period of the revolution was from 1791 to 1793, when the ideas of the philosophers were implemented in the constitution; especially Rouseau’s concept of sovereignty of the people which replaced kinship and transformed the character of the state. The radical measures that the revolutionary government took were directed at abolishing feudalism, slavery, aristocracy, the use of high titles and domination of the church.

The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. — Che Guevara

It granted rights to women and provided opportunities to talented people. It also produced new, modern theories and ideas such as nationalism, liberalism, socialism, feminism and terrorism. The state became responsible for educating its citizens.

A successful revolution demands sacrifice. Nearly 40,000 people including their leaders were killed when the revolution took place. It not only left a lasting impact on history but it also became a model for future revolutions.

The Russian revolution was quite different from the French. It was preplanned and had a competent leadership from the very beginning under which a disciplined party was instrumental in bringing about the revolution. Its ideology was Marxism, its leader was Lenin and the party was Bolshevik; a splinter group of the communist party. The revolution, after eradicating all institutions and traditions, replaced them with new ones. It inspired oppressed people throughout the world to change their destiny and build a new world.          

The Chinese revolution was led by Mao; followed the Marxist ideology and was dedicated to the peoples’ army. Its success was circumstantial. The invasion of Japan provided an opportunity to Mao and his followers, first to resist the Japanese along with Nationalist party and then to defeat the nationalists and capture the state.       

There are some other examples of revolutions following the Marxist ideology. One of them was Vietnam which resisted and fought a bloody war against the  American occupation under the leadership of Ho Tchi Minh and communist party. The victory was achieved after sacrificing thousands and thousands of people for liberation.

The other example is of Cuba where the corrupt dictatorship was overthrown by Fidel Castro to establish a socialist government. The focus of all these revolutions was to abolish the old system and establish a new one for the welfare of the common people.      

 Keeping in view the revolutions, their character and their success, there is a need to analyse the political, social and economic situation of Pakistan and to find out if there is any possibility of a revolution in order to change the entire structure of the society.

There is no enlightenment based on reason and rationalism which could eradicate religious superstition, rusted and useless social institutions, and old beliefs which have lost their utility to play a positive role in society. Moreover, the Pakistani society is not ready to change its structure as it insists on keeping religion as part of their state. It opposes pluralism which accommodates people belonging to different religions and gender. It is not ready to implement the rule of law; denies giving equal rights to women, commercialises education and the health sector; fails to curb corruption and crime or to maintain law and order and provide security to common people. It also fails to bridge the gap between the rich and poor.                 

We neither have a disciplined and organised party with a programme to bring radical changes in the society, nor a competent leader who could inspire people and implement revolutionary ideas. Although the condition of Pakistan is appropriate for a revolution, in the absence of creative ideas, dynamic leadership and dedicated followers of a party, there is no hope for any revolution to take place.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 6th, 2014