Question

In theory, what is the difference between a rebellion and a revolution? Define each. (According to Peasant Rebellion vs. Communist Revolution in China)

Answer 1

The difference between a rebellion and a revolution lies in the fact that the rebellion happens when there is also violent action against authority. A revolution means a change in the way a country is governed, usually leading to a different political system and often using violence in the form of a war. Thus a revolution is a more organized form of revolt. A revolt may or may not lead to a revolution. For example, the peasant’s revolt was triggered by the intervention of a royal official, John Bampton, in Essex on 30 May 1381. His attempts to collect unpaid poll taxes in Brentwood lead to a violent confrontation. However, due to the Chinese Revolution of 1949, the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which broke out immediately following World War II.