Evolution or Revolution
History; Evolution or Revolution
Why would one author choose to portray a historical event as revolutionary while another chooses to view the same event as evolutionary? The answer to this question is simple, perspective. Einstein's theory of time and space, Relativity, proposed that distance and time are not absolute. History also depends on relativity, it is not an absolute. History is more than a chronological account of past events of a period or in the life or development of a people, an institution, or a place. Historians use knowledge to analyze past events. Because no two historians have exactly the same knowledge base the context in which they write must be taken into perspective. Here we will explore how the same events may be both revolutionary and evolutionary at the same time.
Just as all historians have different knowledge bases, in a like manner so do all people. For this reason it is important to define the context in which this essay views revolution and evolution. Revolution is a sudden, radical, or complete fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualize a paradigm. Evolution is change in a certain direction of a process, continuous change from simple to more complex, with the outcome resulting in a better state; or a process of gradual social, political, and economic advance.
A half of a century of time taken out of man’s liner timeline of history is minuscule. Therefore many things that happen in such a relatively short span of time could be defined as revolutionary. Take the American Revolution as an example if you use the year 1775 and the Battles of Lexington and Concord as a starting point and the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1782 as a ending point it is easy to see how this could be defined revolution. When analyzed in greater detail it is also easy to see how this episode in American history can be defined as an evolutionary process. The American Revolution did not just suddenly start for arbitrary reasons in 1775. Moreover a series of events led up to the start of the war. Some claim the first event leading to the Revolutionary War was the first settlers fleeing Europe and tyrannical control. Others point to proceedings such as The Sugar Act of 1764. ...