Since time immemorial, leaders from developing countries have been made attempts to curb instances of revolution. Protests and demonstrations have been condemned by the ruling parties to avoid the conflict of interest. According to JF. Kennedy, “those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. At times, the public has engaged in peaceful demonstrations by they later get impatient as the government in charge remains unwilling to hear their pledges. In such situations, it is likely that the public will confront the authority with force or use of violence, and the emergence of an uprising will come up as a result. Furthermore, leaders from developing countries tend to use power to manipulate and suppress the masses so that they instill fear in them. My question is, does the quote by JF. Kennedy bear some truth in it?
In my opinion, revolting against the authority must be handled with utmost care. It is also advisable for those in powers to welcome peaceful protests. Besides, revolution is not the only way to seek for equality and fairness in the society. For instance, revolting against the authority does not guarantee the population of what they desire. As a result, the already developed countries must be ready to help the developing ones to run the government in a free and transparent manner. To avoid an uprising in countries, the developing nation has a greater role to play. It is always important for the public and elected leaders to come up with measures that have the capacity to avoid either peaceful or violent revolution. In the past, revolutions have proven that they do not end up achieving the expectations of those who revolt.
I disagree with the quote because the revolution is stoppable if the right measures are put in place. To control the situation, there is the need for intensified effort from those in power as well as the general public. For example, resources can be mobilized so formulate and implement reforms that will ensure that the public is satisfied with the way of governance. When formulating the reforms, the authority will set the goals and provide synergies which will convert the dreams of the population into reality. When the expectations of people are met, they will have no reason to engage in a revolution that is perceived to offer the wishes of the citizens. Proper economic reforms will empower the masses as the gap between the rich, and the poor will be reduced to a great extent.
Nonetheless, the quote is not applicable to nations where the prince uses religion to govern. In such countries, the prince applies the ecclesiastical principles to conquer and rule the people. Even though the prince uses the ability or chance presented by the practiced religion in a country, it is obvious he will use neither to maintain his ruling, as stipulated my Machiavelli. A prince in a religious country rules it in his favor as the principalities are used to obeying the traditional religious customs. In this system, the citizens are contended and does not ask for much from their government (Machiavelli 82). The ordinary political customs are disadvantageous as they can contribute to the emergence of a revolution. The religious customs are very powerful as the prince rules his subjects without much strain. There is minimal or no opposition to lead revolts into protests and demonstrations.
Religion is man-made according to Machiavelli and its value restores social order in the society. At the same time, religion is construed to induce the belief in morality to prevent people from engaging in harmful acts. Even in the Bible, Prophets had larger armed forces that served to protect them from enemies. The prince uses the fear of God to rule his subjects. In some situations, the prince replaces God, and the worshipers follow their orders. When you succeed to make your subjects religious as a prince, they will be no point in life where they will engage in a revolution to cause havoc. Therefore, religion can be used by a prince to rule over his people.
Better policies create economic confidence, which ensures the free flow of capital in the domestic and foreign platform. The citizens are exposed to a land of opportunities, and they can excel in their endeavors in such favorable conditions. A better economy eliminates the damages that result from destructive inflation. Inflation stems from unregulated trade measures and poor policies that lead to long-lasting trade imbalances and high rates of unemployment. Revolution starts when people are exposed to certain hardships that interfere with their way of life. When a ruler discovers that notion, he should lead elected leaders and policymakers to come up with efforts to establish proper reforms and the development agenda to avoid the much anxieties experienced by people. If the system does not empower the citizens, the oppression reaches to a point where revolution remains a force to reckon. It’s unstoppable. The elucidation above contradicts with JF. Kennedy quotes that, “those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
Work cited
Machiavelli, Niccolo. "The prince, and The discourses." (1950).
