Appendix 9- The Second Wave

What It Covers

Revolutions typically experience a second wave when radical factions challenge moderate post-revolutionary governments, demanding deeper transformation. This wave either succeeds through planned insurrection or gets crushed by moderates defending limited reforms.

Key Questions Answered

• •Moderate-Radical Split: First revolutionary governments attract moderates from educated elites who want limited reform, not total transformation. They maintain old institutions while radicals demand root-and-branch destruction, creating inevitable conflict over revolution's scope and pace.
• •Dual Radicalism Framework: Radicalism divides into means versus ends. Radicalism of means involves using any tactic to achieve goals, while radicalism of ends seeks total societal reordering. This creates four types: moderate radicals, radical moderates, radical conservatives, and radical radicals.
• •Planned Second Waves: Unlike spontaneous first waves, second revolutionary waves follow deliberate planning with circled calendar dates. August 1792 France and October 1917 Russia exemplify organized radical takeovers, contrasting with unexpected initial uprisings that caught everyone unprepared.
• •Wartime Radical Advantage: Military failures during revolutionary wars discredit moderate governments and empower radical critics promising victory or peace. Moderates hesitate to suppress radicals because they need them as shock troops against counterrevolutionary forces threatening the revolution's survival.