Factors Contributing to the Success, or Failure, of a Revolution

There are many factors that influence the progress and success of a revolution. Government influence, society, race, gender, and class all play a role in shaping the outcome of a revolution and the actions of its people, and under certain circumstances, it is possible to have a nonviolent revolution. For example, the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, a series of nonviolent political protests by the people of East Germany against the power of the German Democratic Republic, remained peaceful throughout its time. These nonviolent protests became a key component that eventually led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of East Germany’s authoritarian regime. But the factors that allowed these protests to remain nonviolent included the collective power of the people against their oppressive government. The large number of protesters is a testament to the views of the majority, who wanted free elections and a true democracy.

However, the women in Born in Flames did not have the support of all the people, and struggled with the effectiveness of the revolution leaders to inspire and control the people. The reason Radio Regazza, Phoenix Radio, and the Women’s Army in Born in Flames resorted to violence is because of their social handicaps. As women, they were already faced with a disadvantage when they tried to spark a revolution in New York City, at a time where women were unemployed, suppressed by the government, and victims of violence. Honey and her followers of Phoenix Radio are faced with an even bigger obstacle as double minorities. As African-American women, they face oppression on multiple fronts. Their struggles are summarized by the Combahee River Collective in their Black Feminist Statement: they “do not have racial, sexual, heterosexual or class privilege to rely upon, nor do we have even the minimal access to resources and power that groups who possess any one of these types of privilege have” (The Combahee River Collective). Even when Radio Regazza and Phoenix Radio join to form the Phoenix Regazza Radio, they are forced to escalate their actions into violence to draw attention to their cause, eventually resorting to terrorism to make a statement. Considering all these factors, the women in Born in Flames were unable to keep their revolution peaceful because without the people’s support and facing government oppression, a revolution cannot lift off the ground.