Repression Brings Revolution | UPSC Mains Essay Preparation PDF Download

Repression Brings Revolution

structure

(1) Opening    —    Quote Tagore.

(2) Body    —    Man yearns for freedom (Gandhiji).

    —    Limit of tolerance.

    —    Subdued and timid men can become lions if proded beyond limit.

    —    Example US, France, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, Jallianwalah.

  —    Kings-some looked after welfare like Akbar, some ruled badly e.g. Aurangzeb. So the concept of king as servant of his subjects.

  —    Democracy, socialism, liberty, equality are important antedote to revolution.

    —    Doesn’t matter if people ill equipped, strength of convictions and faith in their cause carriers them through as in American revolution.

    —    People lose faith in gradual change and force rulers to quit e.g. Marcos, Babangida, Ershad. 

(3) Closing    —    Basic discipline, loyalty desirable but within limit.

“Power has to be made secure not only against power but also against weakness. And herein lies the greatest danger of losing balance. The weaks are as dangerous to the strong as quicksand to an elephant. The people who grow accustomed to wild power forget that by doing so they give rise to unseen force that rends the power to pieces one day. The air that is so thin and unsubstantial can give rise to storm that no one can resist. The weaks find aweful support in the law of moral balance”.

These words were spoken by a great humanist democrat and a spiritual leader. The above lines were a warning to the British rulers who were blinded by absolute power that they enjoyed. They forgot that repression breeds revolution. And one day Tagore’s prophecy that “wheels of fortune will turn one day and the British will have to leave” came true. And it was mass upsurge of people, subdued and crushed under their exploitative rule, that made it possible. If we look into history, we will find numerous examples which prove that exploitation and repression have always resulted in defiance and revolution.

Man loves his freedom. He cherishes it more than anything else. In the words of Gandhiji, “Just as man will not grow a horn or a tail, man will not be a man if he does not have a mind of his own. No society can possibly be built on denial of human freedom.” Therefore, when man is subjugated and oppressed, he cannot tolerate it. He will show defiance. If the oppression goes beyond limit, he will rise in revolt and will go any length to get freedom. Our own countrymen never thought about complete freedom and even helped the British during the war. But when they were repaid by the British in bullets as in Jallianwalah Bagh, the whole nation rose up in revolt. People left government services, boycotted schools, defied rules and faced batons, bullets and bombs without any fear.

No government can be called a perfect government. But it becomes the duty of every government to strive towards the goal of an ideal government. And people cooperate with it in this endeavour. This is because they have faith in it. They can forgive it for its mistakes and high handedness if they think that the intentions were basically honest. However, if the government becomes dictatorial and instead of serving people, tries to suppress them, then people lose faith in it. They make it their goal to over-throw such a government. They do not believe in its promises and defy its authority. They revolt. Such a revolution may be either violent or bloodless but the motive and the goal remains the same—sudden and immediate overthrow of authority. The people of France in the eighteenth century were being ruled by the King and Queen who asked them to eat cake if they had no bread. Such rulers who were so aloof, so much away from their people commanded no confidence, leave alone any respect. People had no hope for any improvement under them. So they had no option but to overthrow them. They were repressed and they revolted.

People may have appearance of weakness under normal circumstances. But when situation warrants they acquire awesome strength. They are not deterred by the lack of equipment or training because they have the strength of their convictions and the faith in their cause. They know that they are fighting for a noble cause and their firm belief in nature’s law of morality carries them through. The Americans who defeated the powerful British Army had no training, no proper equipment and were lesser in number. Yet, they won because they were sparked by the slogan of equality, liberty and fraternity. They believed in their cause which was to end tyranny.

We find history being repeated today. Be it in Philippines or in Nigeria or in E. Europe, everywhere it were once timid people who fought for their freedom and liberty and won it too. When the tide came, it felled once impregnable Berlin wall too. Today, more and more countries are moving towards democracy, equality, liberty and freedom. Rulers are gradually realising that durable peace and economic progress cannot be assured if people are repressed. The weaks do not assist progress because they do not question, they only drag the society down.

To conclude, we can say that while people do not mind obeying laws, being disciplined and being loyal to their country, they do resent snatching of their rights and freedom on these grounds. They have a limit of tolerance. If this limit is crossed, then doom awaits the rulers. As Alwin said—”The voice of the people is the voice of God. So heed it.” History has proved it over and over again that “Repression brings revolution.”