Taking Power: On the Origins of Third World Revolutions

411 Pages·2005·3.011 MB·English

by  John Foran

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Taking Power
TakingPoweranalyzesthecausesbehindsomethreedozenrevolutionsin
theThirdWorldbetween1910andthepresent.Itadvancesanewthe-
orythatseekstointegratethepolitical,economic,andculturalfactors
thatbroughttheserevolutionsabout,andthatlinksstructuraltheorizing
withoriginalideasoncultureandagency.Itattemptstoexplainwhyso
fewrevolutionshavesucceeded,andsomanyhavefailed.Thebookis
dividedintochaptersthattreatparticularsetsofrevolutions:thegreat
socialrevolutionsofMexico1910,China1949,Cuba1959,Iran1979,
andNicaragua1979;theanticolonialrevolutionsinAlgeria,Vietnam,
Angola,Mozambique,andZimbabwefromthe1940stothe1970s;the
reversedrevolutionsofIran(1951–53),Guatemala(1944–54),Bolivia
(1952–64),Chile(1970–73),Jamaica(1972–80),Grenada(1979–83),
andNicaragua(1979–90);failedrevolutionaryattemptsinElSalvador,
Peru, and elsewhere; political revolutions in the Philippines, South
Africa, and elsewhere. It closes with speculation about the future of
revolutionsinanageofglobalization,withspecialattentiontoChiapas,
thepost-September11world,andtheglobaljusticemovement.
  is Professor of Sociology at the University of Cali-
fornia, Santa Barbara, where he is also involved with the programs
on Islamic and Near Eastern Studies, Latin American and Iberian
Studies, and Women, Culture, and Development. His books include
FragileResistence:SocialTransformationinIranfrom1500totheRevolu-
tion (1993), A Century of Revolution: Social Movements in Iran (1994),
andTheorizingRevolutions(1997).

Taking Power
On the Origins of Third World Revolutions
John Foran
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,SãoPaulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521620093
© John Foran 2005
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2005
isbn-13 978-0-511-12723-6 eBook(EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-12723-5 eBook(EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-62009-3 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-62009-0 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-62984-3 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-62984-5 paperback
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forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Nobookcaneverconveythegreatnessofapeopleinrevolt.
EnriqueOltuski,VidaClandestina:
MyLifeintheCubanRevolution,
translatedbyThomasandCarolChristensen
(NewYork:Wiley,2002),xxii
v

Contents
Listoffigures page x
Listoftables xi
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction 1
PartOne Perspectives
1 Theorizingrevolutions 5
Definingrevolution 6
Historicalperspectivesonrevolutions 8
AtheoryofThirdWorldsocialrevolutions 18
Themethodofstudyingrevolutions 24
PartTwo Revolutionarysuccess
2 Thegreatsocialrevolutions 33
Mexico’sunfinishedrevolution,1910–20 34
Thelongestrevolution:China,1911–49 46
Themakingofarevolution:Cuba,1953–59 57
TheSandinistasynthesisinNicaragua,1977–79 65
Iran,1977–79:asurprisingprototypefortheThirdWorld 74
Conclusion:theroutetosocialrevolution 87
3 Theclosestcousins:thegreatanti-colonialrevolutions 88
TheBattleofAlgeria,1954–62 91
TheAngolanRevolution,1960s–1975:fromliberation
movementtocivilwar 104
Mozambique,1960s–1975:theadvantagesofrelative
unity 115
Zimbabwe,1960s–1980:anti-racistrevolution 123
Vietnam,1945–75:thethreerevolutions 131
Conclusion:theanti-colonialvariant 145
vii
viii Contents
PartThree Revolutionaryfailure
4 Thegreatesttragedies:reversedrevolutions 151
PartOne:therisetopowerofrevolutionarymovements 153
Bolivia1952:asuddenrebellion 153
TheChileanpathtorevolution,1970 158
Grenada’sswiftsuccess,1979 163
Iran1951,Guatemala1944,andJamaica1972:twoelections
andanuprising 167
PartTwo:fallingfrompower 169
Boliviaafter1952 170
Chile1973 174
Grenada1983 181
Nicaraguainthe1980s 190
Iran1953,Guatemala1954,andJamaica1980:twocoupsand
anelection 196
Conclusions:successandfailureinoneact 199
5 Thegreatcontrasts:attempts,politicalrevolutions,
andnon-attempts 205
Attemptedrevolutions 206
ElSalvador’snearrevolution 206
TheSenderoLuminosoinPeru 209
China,1989 211
Algeriainthe1990s 213
Guatemalasincethe1960s,Argentinainthe1970s,andthe
Philippinesafter1986 214
Acomparativeanalysisofattempts 216
Alookatpoliticalrevolutions 221
ThefalloftheManchusinChina,people’spowerinthe
Philippines,andtheousterof“BabyDoc”inHaiti 221
Theuprootingofapartheid 223
FromtheCongotoZaire,andback 225
Acomparativeanalysisofpoliticalrevolutions 227
Noattempt:thereasonswhy 229
Iraq:wherepoliticalculturepreventedrevolution? 230
IranandEgypt:thecounter-revolutionarypowerofrepressive
tolerance 231
Cuba:theadvantagesofculture 233
SouthKoreaandTaiwan:theadvantagesofrealdevelopment 234
Argentina,Brazil,andTurkey:dependentdevelopmentand
democracy 235
Comparingnon-attempts 237
Chiapas:thefirstrevolutionofthenewmillennium 238
Concludingthoughtsonthefailureofrevolutions 243