Revolution in the 20th Century

Abstract

The factors that influence revolution are often spread throughout any society. As such, revolution is usually a two-pronged crisis. The first could be the broad participation of a national government and the other, the weakening of the government by some crisis (Perry 80). The crisis could be of varied reasons ranging from economic disasters, socio-cultural impediments and ideological stance (Mathews). The latter is among the reasons most revolutions in history began such as the Tiananmen Square Protest in China in 1989 and 1968’s Paris Riots. In Tiananmen Square, the rise of a non-violent citizens movement was the call to reforms in China sparked by the death of Hu Yaobang- the general secretary of the Communist Party (He 1). Whereas, in France, the protests of May 1968, the revolutionary movement was inspired by the youth who yearned for more freedom and liberation from the more patriarchal system of government (Beardsley). On a similarity comparison, China and France underwent a historical movement and revolution that helped shape the countries to what they are now. Despite the parallel actions, both countries have taken a different reformation system (Reader; DeFronzo). China, a communist strong-hold, continues to be one of the strong nations of the world that still practice theocratized tyrannical leadership. While, as for French, the revolution impacted the reformation of the government significantly from a patriarchal system of administration to a more diverse and democratized nation. Therefore, the following research aims to delineate the difference in both countries after the revolutionary movements in the 20^th century. To be precise, the study will focus on the impact the revolution brought to both countries and determine what the impactful difference for both countries with an additional look at the role that the media played during the movement is. The reason the topic is essential for this current research is to understand the different impact that revolution has had on different countries despite similar motives for reformation of government and leadership.

Annotated Bibliography

Beardsley, E. “In France, The Protests of May 1968 Reverberate Today- And Still Divide the French.” NPR. 2018. Accessed from https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/29/613671633/in-france-the-protests-of-may-1968-reverberate-today-and-still-divide-the-french

The article provides a clear analysis of the impact that the French movement of 1968 had and currently influences how the French perceive their democratic nation. The writer, Beardsley, provides a detailed account of the events that occurred throughout the period and what impact it has since then.

He, Rowena Xiaoqing. “The 1989 Tiananmen Movement and Its Aftermath.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. (2017): 1-33. Accessed from http://oxfordre.com/asianhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277727-e-157?print=pdf

The article by He expounds on the events that led to the reformed movement in China in the late 20^th century. The author also provides a detailed account of the impact that the campaign had and the consequences of the change since the institution of the movement.

Matthews, Geoffrey J. ” Peace Capital”: American Media’s Coverage of May 1968 in Paris.” (2015).

The journal article focuses on the role that the media played in highlighting and sparking an intense movement in France. The aim is to provide an idea of what the media did during the time to ensure that France would categorically empower itself for a revolution just like other nations at the time.

Perry, Elizabeth J. “Casting a Chinese” democracy” movement: The roles of students, workers, and entrepreneurs.” Popular Protest and Political Culture in Modern China. Routledge, 2018. 74-92.

The article by Perry provides a concise explanation of the roles that students played during the Chinese democratic movement in the late 20^th century. The purpose of the article is to provide an in-depth look of what happened after the action to the participating parties as a result of the intensified communist party government.

Reader, Keith A., and Khursheed Wadia. The May 1968 events in France: reproductions and interpretations. Springer, 2016.

The article provides a critical analysis of the events of May 1968 in France with in-depth comprehension of the reproductions and interpretations of the facts. The paper focuses on the aspects of social and cultural movements that played a critical role in sparking the campaign in France.

DeFronzo, James. Revolutions and revolutionary movements. Routledge, 2018.

The book by DeFronzo provides a detailed explanation of the roles that the media played during the 20^th-century revolutions around the world. The author indicates the different epochs of the world including that of the Chinese 1989 and French 1968 and how the media played a significant role in empowering people with information throughout the revolutionary movements.

Work Cited