Societal revolutions and punctuated equilibrium. A comparison with the evolutionary theory (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject History - World History - Basics, grade: 9, VU University Amsterdam , language: English, abstract: Since revolutions usually describe big changes in a society that happen within a relatively short amount of time, it is most interesting to look into the connections between societal revolutions and the evolutional theory of punctuated equilibrium. A look from "above" could lead to a new understanding of both concepts or new ways to handle them. The focus of this text will be the concept of revolutions and how to deal with them, with punctuated equilibrium being the point of comparison.

Revolutions are a societal phenomenon that has been an important factor to societal change for centuries. Few would deny the connection between the French revolution and the spread of democracy in Europe, for example. Today, there are several places and situations in the world that might break out into revolution soon, for example the Hong Kong protests, the recurring strikes in France or simply the fact that many people are unsatisfied with their leaders and their previous actions all across the world, which clearly shows the relevance of revolutions even today.