Revolutions and World Politics

Revolutions are often considered to be a ‘side order’ to the ‘main course’ of International Relations. But as the course explores, the lack of attention paid to revolutions is a mistake – revolutions have played a major part in the making of the modern world. From the ‘Atlantic Revolutions’ of the late 18th and early 19th centuries to the ‘colour revolutions’ of the early 21st century, revolutions have been central to debates about sovereignty, justice, order, intervention, and more. Revolutions have also been tightly bound up with dynamics of war and peace. This course explores both the theory and practice of revolutions, teasing out their effects and examining the prospects for revolutionary change in the contemporary world.