# Insurrection and revolution-what's the difference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308 "2024-02-08T14:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/1 "2024-02-08T14:59:19Z")
I have a bigger question that may belong in GD, but I thought I’d get better information here that might forestall it. Was George Washington’s fight against the British, (to use an example) an insurrection? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/2 "2024-02-08T15:05:23Z")
There isn’t much difference between an insurrection and a rebellion. A rebellion is not necessarily an armed or violent action. In the case of the American Revolution the colonies were largely self governing and physically separated from the English government so the rebellion didn’t become violent until the Redcoats tried to put it down. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/3 "2024-02-08T15:12:10Z")
It’s about who wins. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/4 "2024-02-08T15:32:53Z")
An insurrection is an uprising against authority, which likely gets stamped on. A successful insurrection might just end with the resident head of state getting thrown out in favour of another. That’s not a revolution. A revolution is a wholesale overturning of a political system. It also doesn’t have to be violent. So the American revolution might have started as an insurrection, but it ended in a revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/5 "2024-02-08T17:52:47Z")
From a British point of view, Washington was an insurrectionist, as he was violently opposing British rule in the colonies. He was an outlaw that deserved to hung, shot or drawn and quartered as far as they were concerned. From our point of view, he was a revolutionist and a founding father of our democracy. An American hero deserving and worthy enough of being on our currancy. So yes, it really does depend upon your point view, and on who wins the fight. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/6 "2024-02-08T19:51:50Z")
According to Wikipedia, a rebellion is a violent uprising against one’s own government. An insurrection is an armed rebellion, and a revolt is a rebellion aimed at replacing some aspect - government, law, authority, policy, etc… [Rebellion - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion#:~:text=An%20insurrection%20is%20an%20armed,the%20revolt%20is%20an%20insurgency.) A revolution is something larger scale; a revolt can fail in the context of a larger successful revolution An example might be the Easter Rising in 1916 Ireland- the revolt failed, but the revolution ultimately succeeded with Irish independence a few years afterward. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/7 "2024-02-08T21:02:26Z")
Well, you aren’t going to hear any of these songs: Insurrection Insurrection No 9 Children of the Insurrection Insurrection is My Name Talkin’ 'Bout an Insurrection Love Insurrection 99 Insurrections ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/8 "2024-02-08T21:09:24Z")
I’d say the answer is similar to a post a while back about “usurper”. As with that its about how successful it was. An insurrection fails, a revolution does not (or at least gets close to overthrowing the government, and provoke reforms to the status quo, even it ultimately fails to completely overthrow the government) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/9 "2024-02-08T21:09:42Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Well, you aren’t going to hear any of these songs: But the movie _Aimless Insurrectionist_ was a classic. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/10 "2024-02-08T21:15:28Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I have a bigger question that may belong in GD FYI I don’t think I agree with any of your first three choices about where this question should have gone! Seems like an IMHO to me. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/11 "2024-02-08T22:25:41Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > So yes, it really does depend upon your point view, and on who wins the fight. “History is written by the victors.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insurrection-and-revolution-whats-the-difference/997308/12 "2024-02-09T09:06:38Z")
“Treason doth never prosper, what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it Treason.” John Harington