‘Coloured Revolution’ as a Political Phenomenon

Abstract

Different forms of political change from putsch to revolution are described and ‘coloured revolutions’ are analysed as revolutionary coups d'etat. Conditions promoting and retarding the success of such movements are discussed and cases of ‘decremental relative deprivation’ are discovered which predisposed the public to insurgency. Conditions for success involved a united and organized opposition with an alternative ideology and political policy. Counter-elites when in power neither carry out revolutions nor promote democratic development. An unintended consequence of democracy promotion is that autocratic regimes learn to counteract it and in so doing weaken genuine civil society associations.