Historian Reveals The 3 Signs A Political Revolution Is About To Happen — And The Ones We’ve Already Seen In America
"Every revolution has to have its unifying moment. I think we may have just had ours."
Lomb | Shutterstock America has had an eventful end of 2024, to say the least. Between a divisive Presidential election and the deadly and highly publicized shooting of a powerful CEO, many Americans are feeling particularly on edge. One historian says we have good reason to be.
Flora Anthony, a historian and content creator, warned that we may be experiencing the dawn of a political revolution in the U.S.
“There are three predictive indicators, basically, of a political revolution,” she said. “We’ve already seen a few of them.”
Here are the 3 signs a political revolution is about to happen:
1. Economic inequality and perceived injustice
“If I were a billionaire here in the States, I would be begging to be taxed more right now,” Anthony said, pointing to the French Revolution as the reason why.
Just before the French Revolution began in 1789, discontent for the monarchy had been growing for years. The rule of King Louis XVI brought widespread economic hardship and social inequality, not to mention the blind eye he turned to the citizens he was supposed to protect while favoring the rich. Sound familiar?
As Anthony pointed out in a previous TikTok, "Those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it."
According to the Pew Research Center, the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorest families doubled from 1989 to 2016. The top 10% of households in the US have 67% of the total household wealth, while the bottom 50% have only 2.5%. Additionally, the average wealth of the top 10% is $6.9 million, while the average wealth of the bottom 50% is $51,000.
Most Americans work like dogs day after day just to put food on the table, all while the powerful few are struggling to decide what cocktails they should serve at their next yacht party without a worry in the world. It's an injustice, and people are getting tired of it.
We’ve already seen one powerful millionaire gunned down in the street by someone who had enough. It’s only a matter of time before a war between the classes erupts, sparking a political movement similar to the French Revolution.
2. State weakness and legitimacy crisis
“What I mean when I say state weakness and a legitimacy crisis,” Anthony clarified in a follow-up video, “is that there is a good deal of corruption and incompetence, a failure to address grievances effectively, and a loss on the monopoly of violence.”
This, she continued, “means that the state struggles to control its military or security forces and that challenges to its authority may gain traction.”
A legitimacy crisis occurs when people no longer believe that the authority in question is acting in their best interests or maintaining ethical standards.
It is safe to say that many Americans have lost faith in their government. As of April 2024, just 22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always.”
When people become disillusioned by those in power, an uprising is just around the corner.
3. Mobilization and organization of the oppressed class.
As many of us saw following the election results and the death of UnitedHealth CEO Brain Thompson, Americans took to social media to share their feelings — and they were some pretty big ones.
Some expressed their distaste for a second Trump presidency and filmed themselves gathering on the streets to protest. Others celebrated the death of Thompson by sharing their own experiences with the broken healthcare system.
Social media has played a vital role in mobilizing frustrated Americans. The more they share their stories, the more people will see them, and the more they will realize that something needs to be done about the current state of our country and leadership.
Many people feel that a revolution is the only way the masses will be heard and much-needed change will finally be made.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.