What Is A Revolution?

We have been inundat-
ed with several and

differing explanations
and meaning of the
word “revolution” in the last one
week, following the protest planned
by Revolution Now, a group led by
Omoyele Sowore, Sahara Reporters

publisher and presidential candi-
date of the African Action Congress

Party in the last election. Sowore was
arrested last Saturday.
Legal minds have provided their
own analysis of the meanings. Public

Affairs and security experts have giv-
en their own versions. These motley

of definitions and explanations are
being proffered by these groups to
help the average person understand
what the group is calling for and
whether it is actionable as a crime or
reasonable as the security agencies
seem to infer.

Unfortunately, the proponent, Sow-
ore himself is not available to tell us

the meaning or extent of his call for a
revolution.
So, what is a revolution?

Let us see what the different English
dictionaries say before we go jumping
into the fray with our own analysis
and version.

The Longman Dictionary of Con-
temporary English says revolution

as a countable noun is ‘a complete
change in ways of thinking, methods
of working etc’. For instance,
‘In the last ten years there has been

a revolution in education’ or ‘the big-
gest social revolution we have had in

this country’ or ‘the sexual revolution
of the 1960s’.

As an uncountable or even counta-
ble noun, it can refer to ‘a time when

people change a ruler or political
system by using force or violence’, like
‘the French Revolution of 1789 , ‘the
role of women has changed since the
revolution’ or ‘the country seems to
be heading towards revolution’.
Still as a countable or uncountable
noun, Longman says revolution is a

circular movement around some-
thing, e.g. the planets’ revolution

around the Sun.
As a full countable noun, revolution
is also one complete circular spinning
movement, made by something such
as a wheel attached to a central point.

To revolve at a speed of 100 revolu-
tions per minute.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
defines revolution as:

1. The action by a celestial body of
   going round in an orbit or elliptical
   course. Also, an apparent movement
   of such a body round the earth.
2. The time taken by a celestial body
   to make a complete round in its orbit.
3. The rotation of a celestial body on
   its axis.
4. Completion of a course (as of
   years). Also : the period made by
   the regular succession of a measure
   of time or by a succession of similar
   events or a progressive motion of
   a body around an axis so that any
   line of the body parallel to the axis
   returns to its initial position while

remaining parallel to the axis in tran-
sit and usually at a constant distance

from it.

1. A sudden, radical, or complete
   change, i.e. like a fundamental change
   in political organization, especially
   the overthrow or renunciation of one

government or ruler and the substitu-
tion of another by the governed. This

also include an activity or movement
designed to effect fundamental
changes in the socio-economic
situation.

1. A fundamental change in the
   way of thinking about or visualizing
   something: a change of paradigm.
   This can also refer to a changeover in

use or preference especially in tech-
nology, like the computer revolution

or the foreign car revolution.
Collins Dictionary has its own
definitions – a successful attempt by
a large group of people to change the
political system of their country by
force or a revolution in a particular
area of human activity as a change in
that area.
It lists the following:

1. The overthrow or repudiation of
   a regime or political system by the
   governed.
2. In Marxist theory, it is the
   violent transition from one system of
   production in a society to the next, as
   from feudalism to capitalism.
3. A far-reaching and drastic
   change, especially in ideas and
   methods.
4. Movement in or as if in a circle
   resulting in one complete turn in
   such a circle.
5. The orbital motion of one body,
   such as a planet or satellite around
   another – one complete turn in such
   motion.
   So, there you are – revolution with
   different faces and meanings. Which
   is which?
   One thing is sure: our learned
   friends will continue to give us legal
   interpretations of all these definitions
   and smile to the bank as usual if the
   issues end up in court.