Question

In the article, Roger Cohen writes, "Revolutions, Islamic and otherwise, seldom deliver on all of their promises, and a clear external enemy can serve as a useful diversion from internal problems." Identify at least one other revolution from your study of history that supports Cohen's claim and explain it is an example.

Answer 1

An example of a revolution that fits this claim is the Cuban Revolution. The promise of implementing communism in the island was at the heart of the revolution in the beginning. This was considered to be the best way to liberate the country from the control of foreign powers and Cuban oligarchies.

Initially, the revolution was supported by a lot of the people of Cuba, and it did deliver many of its promises. However, it fell short when compared to all the promises it had made at the beginning. The revolution was also able to find a clear external enemy in the United States. Although Cuba had reason to complain about the United States, this was used by the revolution as a diversion for its many other problems.