Political revolutions and religion

This is the central lecture of the lecture series. It examines the influence of religion on the historical development of revolutions, using examples taken from modern democratic revolutions in Europe, such as the Hussite revolution in Bohemia in 1415-1436; the Gueux revolt, 1555-1569, in the Netherlands; the role of Puritanism in the American Revolution; and the role of Christianity in the French Revolution. 1789 brings this cycle to a close, with the birth of individualism, the development of the concept of the citizen, with all that this implies in legal, fiscal and military terms, and the emergence of modern liberty. The Islamic context will also be examined. In this context, "the revolution of early Islam" will be analyzed, followed by revolutionary experiences in the Islamic context, such as the Penitents' Revolt, thawrat a-tawwâbîn, the Kharejite revolutions in the East and Maghreb, the Abbasid, Fatimid, Almoravid and Almohad revolutions, the Aspirants' Revolution, thawrat al Murîdîne, prelude to the Almoravid revolution, the Shâbiyya revolution in Tunisia, and so on. Political and religious revolutionary movements in the face of colonial conquest will also be examined. A final reflection will be devoted to the Iranian revolution of 1979.