The Business Cycle & Revolutions

How economic hardships spark uprisings

[TL;DR Money makes the world go round]

The Business Cycle

“The Economics of Social Unrest” (International Monetary Fund)

The History of Revolutions

“Economic and Material Causes of Revolt” (Khan Academy)

The American Revolution (1765 - 1791)

The tax on tea was too damn high

The French Revolution (1789 - 1799)

The price of bread was too damn high

The Haitian Revolution (1791 - 1804)

Taking advantage of the French revolution to overthrow slavery

The Arab Spring (2010 - 2012)

“How economic hardship fuelled the Arab Spring 10 years ago” (Al Jazeera)

Sri Lanka Uprising (2022)

2022 & Beyond

As we enter a contractionary period in the global economy will we see more democratic uprisings across the world? Only time will tell, but we can clearly see throughout history how economic hardships push people to their brink. You push someone too far and they will bite back, it is basic animal nature.

Further Readings

“Economic consequences of revolutions: Evidence from the 1789 French Revolution”