Don't we, the Brits, have 'quiet' revolutions though? Revolutions in all but name? Peasants Revolt and all that.
The English Civil War (Parts I & II: Soundtrack by Rick Wakeman, maybe) was really a revolution of sorts. Let's face it, the monarchy was deposed, a king's head was lopped off - how revolutionary do you want to get? The body count in the conflict alone must be indicitive of the sheer volatilty of the collision of ideals that occured.
We, the plucky and pale but alarmingly musical Brits, currently exist, for better or worse, as a result of what was, I would have thought, by any standard, revolutionary action.
I think the fact that it is taught as a 'war' (or two) rather than a revolution is, perhaps, testament to our nation's collective reluctance to embrace revolution as a 'good thing' rather than an occasional and perhaps necessary 'abberation' that gets things done.
Incidentally, I guess politically I would have been a roundhead (up until Cromwell went beserk - power corrupting? I should coco!) but I admit I would be conflicted by the fact that the Cavaliers had much nicer threads and hats.
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