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Revolution and Counterevolution in the Modern Age

Code: 100387
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
History OP 4
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 3
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
David Alegre Lorenz
Email :
david.alegre@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

No requests needed

Objectives

This course seeks to familiarize students with the genesis and evolution of the idea of revolution as a concept, but also as a foundational historical phenomenon of contemporaneity with two very evident meanings since its origins. The first is usually identified as an upheaval or alteration of the existing order, almost always associated with the use of violence and the attempt to conquer power by certain collective subjects excluded from decision-making, the means of production and the distribution of wealth. The second links revolution to a certain idea of reform or to an intended political, social, economic and/or cultural refoundation in order to adapt to the changing challenges and needs of contemporaneity itself, entailing some kind of substantial change in the structures of the state, the form and praxis of government.
 
Both types of revolution have almost always given rise to counterrevolutionary phenomena of great importance and with the capacity to question or halt the transformations proposed by each revolutionary process through diverse means, from political and cultural action to armed responses. In this sense, this course will also allow students to understand the counterrevolution as an essentially complex historical reality capable of adapting to very diverse environments. Among other things, we will see that it is a phenomenon that has had a place for the most diverse social and political subjects, who for different circumstances would have seen their social position, their way of being and their worldview threatened by the impact of the revolutionary transformations, or simply an opportunity to prosper by joining the counterrevolution. In this sense, this course will also allow students to understand the counterrevolution as an essentially complex historical reality, capable of adapting to very diverse environments. Among other things, we will see that it is a phenomenon where the most diverse social and political subjects have had a place, who for different circumstances would have seen their social position, their way of being and their worldview threatened due to the impact of the revolutionary transformations, or simply an opportunity to prosper by joining the counterrevolution.
 
It is undeniable the enormous capital of the idea of revolution as a tool of legitimization and discredit in contemporaneity, from the late eighteenth century to the present day, although the subject will focus mainly on the twentieth century. Often invoked to promote a sense of a new beginning, revolution has come to be claimed by subjects across the political spectrum in order to articulate their projects and construct their discourses, however contradictory the objectives pursued may be. At other times it has played the role of a scarecrow that embodies the greatest danger to the millenary legacy of civilization and all the values associated with it. In Block 1 of the course we will see different examples of both casuistry throughout contemporaneity. 
However, in many cases the idea of revolution has come hand in hand with modernization and reform projects, treated as attempts at regeneration promoted from above. Thus, these tend to take place in the context of acute political, social and economic crises, and it is not uncommon for them to be launched to avoid a revolution driven by sectors of society distanced from power or to try to compete on an equal footing in a competitive or threatening international scenario. Such would be the case of China and the self-proclaimed self-empowerment movement of the second half of the 19th century or the modernization process initiated by the Japanese authorities with the Meiji Restoration. In the first part of this course we will deal with these two cases, as well as the "Revolution" of the Young Turks in 1909 up to the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
 
In fact, as will be seen throughout the course, revolutions always tend to break out in the propitiatory framework of international conflicts. These generate the social-political tension and states of exception that usually explain the revolutionary outbreak and provide the scenario to deepen the transforming process that it brings with it. The paradigmatic case would be Russia in 1917, which opens the bulk of the syllabus of this subject together with the revolutionary sexennium that breaks out in different parts of Europe. It is not strange that these scenarios of questioning the established order give rise to different alternative projects of revolution that end up entering into conflict, as we see very clearly in the same Russian case with the Makhnovist revolution in eastern Ukraine, which will be dealt with in detail.
We will also see that, in many other cases, civil war and foreign military intervention are usually the result of the revolution, in order to put an end to the threat embodied by those sectors that would drive it. An unbeatable example would be the growth of communism legitimized by the armed resistance of its militants against occupation, fascism and collaborationism throughout World War II. The most obvious case in this respect would be the Yugoslavia cut up by the Axis, but also France and Belgium, which we will deal with in detail in block 3 of the course, in parallel to the construction of the Nazi New Order and the changing political balances to which it would give rise in the European counterrevolutionary space.
 
The revolutions and the counterrevolutionary phenomena resulting from them have been historical realities well framed in specific geographical and cultural coordinates, which is why this subject will place particular emphasis on the analysis of the contexts. However, it should be noted that they have also been characterized by their evident global nature, inasmuch as they have echoed throughout the world in a very diverse manner, conditioning the political life of an infinite number of different local spaces. Nor can we forget their transnational dimension, with both realities being traversed as they are by the political agenda and the participation of states, organizations and individuals outside the context in question, but determined to become involved for a multitude of reasons, contributing knowledge, resources and praxis.
 
In this sense, blocks 4 and 5 of this course will start from these interpretative assumptions, analyzing the involvement of the United States as a counterrevolutionary agent, essentially in Indonesia, Argentina and Nicaragua, among other cases. In a connected way, we'll deal with the wars of decolonization in Indochina (1945-1954) and Algeria (1954-1962), as they constitute authentic crossroads in the forging of a counterinsurgency model by the French Army that will be widely exported throughout the world in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
 
It should be noted that revolutions and counter-revolutions have ultimately been key processes in the construction of modern states. However, while the former have allowed the experimentation of different alternative models of organization, the latter have favored the penetration of big capital and the imposition of its interests through social and political disciplining. Throughout the course we will see how the different processes of emancipation and domination resulting from revolutions and counterrevolutions have been articulated, where the use of violence as a political weapon has played a prominent role. Unraveling the logics, praxis and actors that have characterized its implementation will be another of the objectives of the different sessions, given that the control and elimination of the enemy have generally been priorities in the eyes of revolutionaries and counterrevolutionaries in order to achieve the triumph of their projects.
Ultimately, the course will try to answer the question of whether continuities are more the norm than the exception throughout contemporaneity, sometimes even in historicalframeworks of revolutionary change. The last block of the course, which will focus on the origins, development and exit of the Arab Spring, will serve to close the course by placing this issue at the center. It will also allow us to reflect on the very legacy of revolutions and counter-revolutions, as well as the disputes generated around their memory and use in the public arena, and the way in which they condition our social and political attitudes in the present.

Learning outcomes

  1. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  2. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  3. Properly using the specific vocabulary of History.
  4. Organising and planning the search of historical information.
  5. Using the characteristic computing resources of the field of History.
  6. Solving problems autonomously.
  7. Communicating in your mother tongue or other language both in oral and written form by using specific terminology and techniques of Historiography.
  8. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  9. Recognising diversity and multiculturalism.
  10. Appropriately identifying and using information sources for the historical research, specially about contemporary political regimes.
  11. Critically summarising the various historiographical explanations about the emergence and evolution of political regimes in the contemporary era.
  12. Make a brief comparison of national and/or regional cases within the same international framework.
  13. Developing the ability of historical analysis and synthesis.
  14. Work in teams respecting all points of view. Use the specific vocabulary of history correctly.
  15. Present works in formats tailored to the needs and personal styles, both individual and small group.
  16. Using computing resources of the area of study of history.
  17. Identifying the social, economic and political structures of the contemporary world.
  18. Relate the labour market and economic activity.
  19. Analyse the mechanisms of the formation of salaries.
  20. Interpret the motivations, instruments and effects of public intervention in the labour market.
  21. Understand in economic terms, the problem of unemployment and its causes.
  22. Understand and explain situations of memory in conflict from the perspectives of class, gender and national identity.
  23. Understand the different perspectives of class, gender and national identity on which different relations between social, political and economic agents are based.
  24. Relating elements and factors involved in the development of historical processes.
  25. Assess work-related policies.
  26. Recognising the historical processes that led to the contemporary society.
  27. Deal sensitively with social questions
  28. Using the specific work methods of Contemporary History.
  29. Critically summarise the different historiographical explanation for the rise of political regimes in the Contemporary Era.
  30. Manage and apply data to solve problems.

Contents

1. Revolution and counterrevolution: two historical realities and concepts of analysis to approach contemporaneity.

2. The European revolutionary and counterrevolutionary sexennium, 1917-1923: the other revolutionary projects in Russia, Finland, Poland and Hungary.

3. Between Hitler and Stalin: armed resistance, collaborationism and civil war in occupied Europe, 1939-1953.

4. Decolonization and Cold War: Indochina, Algeria, Indonesia, Chile and Argentina.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Personal works about bibliography 45 1.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Lecture, presentation and explanation by the teacher, encouragement to participate in classrooms debates. Theoretical or practical works. 9 0.36 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Personal works about bibliography 30 1.2 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Reflection and interpretation based on primary documentation 9 0.36 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Lecture, presentation and explanation by the teacher, encouragement to participate in classrooms debates. Theoretical or practical works 37 1.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Tutorials. Personal interview with the student and orientation about practical works 15 0.6 2, 3, 7, 8, 13, 14, 27
Teaching methodologies
 
 
 
ABR, inverted classroom, complementary film-forum series
 
 
 
Competencies
 
 
 
- Apply the main methods, techniques and tools of advanced historical analysis.
 
- Elaborate complex historical analyses that integrate subjects made invisible and silenced by classical historiography, such as women, and racialized and stereotyped subjects, endowing them with their agency.
 
- Critically evaluate sources, interpretative frameworks and theoretical models to analyze the various historical stages.
 
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate them effectively, both in one's own languages and in a third language.
 
- Development of those learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
 
- Students should be able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
 
- Ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to make judgments that include a reflection on prominent social, scientific or ethical issues.
 
- Respect diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
 
 
 
Note:
 
 
 
You may only enter the classroom during the first 5 minutes of class and may only leave during the last 5 minutes of class. 
 
No food or beverages may be consumed during the class.
 
No cell phone may be consulted during class.
 
Any duly justified exception to these rules must explicitly receive the prior approval of the subject teacher.
 
 
 
15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/title, for the completion by the students of the evaluation surveys of the teacher's performance and the evaluation of the subject.
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Coursework - Final Workshop 50% 2.7 0.108 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Written exam on the contents of the subject 30% 1.6 0.064 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Written exam based on the reading of a book 20% 0.7 0.028 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

General information

This subject allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, exclusively in support tasks for the preparation of the tests: bibliographic search, specific information, knowledge of debates and states of the question, always being aware of the limitations of this tool, which often fails to provide reliable information. In all cases, students must (i) identify the parts of the activities that have been generated or prepared with IA; (ii) specify in a brief methodological paragraph or section the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. This type of exercise will be highly valued, especially in combination with the reading of specialized bibliography and the deepening of the contents taught in the classroom.


Non-transparency in the use of AI in any evaluable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will result in the activity being evaluated with a zero (0) and cannot be recovered, or higher penalties in serious cases.


The sessions and their contents are protected by intellectual property and data protection regulations. Recording, reproducing, or sharing classes or participants' contributions is not permitted without prior authorization. Any recording must be expressly authorized.

Continuous evaluation


Theoretical tests:


-30% final written exam at the end of the term, or two midterm exams, as agreed with the students.

-20% written exam based on the reading of a book chosen from a bibliography proposed by the teaching staff.


Practical assessments:


-50% coursework consisting of a critical study of The Wretched of the Earth (1961) by Frantz Fanon. Students will form groups of four to five people and divide among themselves the reading of bibliography to contextualize and analyze the work in terms of its issues and historical context. Their activity will be monitored by the teaching staff through an initial tutorial and two autonomous group meetings. Students must take minutes of these meetings and submit them as evidence of each member’s contribution (10% of the total grade). Finally, students will be individually assessed on the work through a reading comprehension test conducted in class (20%), and there will be a plenary session in the format of a conference-workshop in an appropriate setting to encourage dynamic exchange, where groups will debate the main themes of Fanon’s work, with the teaching staff acting as facilitators and moderators (20%).


The final grade of the course is obtained by averaging the grades according to the percentages specified above. In order to pass the course, students must have taken the two exams and the two papers.


In no case will an average be made if the student has a grade lower than 3.5 in any of the two exams. This circumstance will entail having to recover the corresponding part/s of the course.


The student who does not reach 5 points will have the right to take the make-up exam as long as he/she fulfills these requirements:


- have the assignments done (if the assignments have not been handed in, the student will not be allowed to take the make-up exam).


- has an overall minimum grade of no less than 3


- has an average grade of at least 3.5 in the two midterm exams


The evaluative tests conducted in the classroom will be carried out without notes, but the students can have a sheet with handwritten diagrams on both sides, which can be checked by the professor throughout the exam, as well as bring the books used for the preparation of each exam.


The student will be able to review with the teacher the contents and grades of all the tests on the specific dates established by the teacher, always in person. In justified cases, another date and time will be sought.


The assignments cannot be recovered, and in case the student has to go to the recovery of one or both midterm, the practical tests and assignments willcontinue to make average grade with the grade of the recovery.


In any case, the student who has to go to the recovery will not be able to aspire to get more than a 5 in the final grade of the course.


Other considerations: the work must be handed in on the dates set by the teacher, except for justified reasons. For each late class in the presentation of the work, the grade of the work will be lowered by two points. For each spelling mistake that appears in the work, thegrade of the assignment in question will be lowered by 0.2 points.


The student will receive the grade of Not evaluable as long as he/she has not passed more than 30% of the evaluation activities.


In case the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an act of evaluation will be graded with a 0 in the act of evaluation or assignment in question, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instigated. In case of several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject the final grade will be 0.


In case the tests cannot be done in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining the weighting) to the possibilities offered by the virtual tools of the UAB. Homework, activities and class participation will be done through forums, wikis and/or discussions of exercises through Teams, etc. The professor will ensure that the student can access or offer alternative means that are within their reach.



Single evaluation


In those cases in which the student chooses the form of single evaluation due to the need to reconcile their work and family life, the system used to assess the acquisition of the required competencies will be the following:


Theoretical assessments:

  • A single final exam worth 40% of the total grade, divided between an oral interview (20%) and a written test (20%).

Practical assessments:

  • Assignment 1 (30%): students will be assessed through a written exercise on The Wretched of the Earth (1961) by Frantz Fanon.
  • Assignment 2 (20%): writing a review, in the form of a written test, of a book selected from the bibliographic list.



The final grade of the course is obtained by averaging the grades according to the percentages specified above. In order to pass the course it is necessary to have taken both parts of the exam and the two papers.


In no case will an average be made if the student has a total grade lower than 3.5 in the exam. This circumstance will entail having to go to recovery.


The student who does not reach 5 points will have the right to go to the recovery exam as long as he/she fulfills these requirements:


- have the assignments done (if the assignments have not been handed in, the student will not be allowed to take the make-up exam).


- have a minimum overall grade of not less than 3


- has an average exam grade of not less than 3.5



The student will be able to review with the teacher the contents and grades of all the tests.


Practical tests and assignments cannot be recovered, and in case the student has to go to the recovery of one or both partial exams, the practical tests and assignments will continue to makeaverage grade with the grade of the recovery.


In any case, the student who has to go to the recovery will not be able toaspire to get more than a 5 in the final grade of the subject.


Other considerations: The assignments must be handed in on the dates set by the teacher, except for justified reasons. For each late class in the presentation of the work, the grade of the work will be lowered by two points. For each spelling mistake that appears in the work, the grade of the work will be lowered by 0.2 points.


Erasmus students who need to leave before the scheduled assessment dates must provide an official document from their home university, addressed to the Degree Exchange Coordinator, confirming a calendar conflict (an overlap with academic activities at their home institution).


Students who for reasons of force majeure cannot guarantee their attendance to the face-to-face sessions will follow a parallel evaluation that will incorporate, in addition to the components of the evaluation indicated above, a supplementary work, as long as they can demonstrate in a duly accredited way the impossibility of following the form of evaluation foreseen.


The student will receive the grade of Not evaluable provided that he/she has not released more than 30% of the evaluation activities.


In case the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation of the grade of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instituted. In case several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject the final grade of this subject will be 0.


If the tests cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining the weighting) to the possibilities offered by the virtual tools of the UAB. Homework, activities and class participation will be done through forums, wikis and/or discussions of exercises through Teams, etc. The professor will ensure that the student has access or will offer alternative means that are within their reach.

Bibliography

- ALCALDE, Ángel: Excombatientes y fascismo en la Europa de entreguerras, València, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2022.

- ALEGRE LORENZ, David: Colaboracionistas: Europa occidental y el Nuevo Orden nazi, Barcelona, Galaxia Gutenberg, 2022.

- ALEKSIÉVITX, Svetlana: Temps de segona mà: la fi de l'home roig, Barcelona, Raig Verd, 2013.

- ALLINSON, Jamie: The Age of Counter-Revolution: States and Revolutions in the Middle East, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2022.

- BENIGNO, Francesco: Ensayo histórico sobre la violencia política: el rostro ambiguo del terrorismo, Madrid, Cátedra, 2023.

- BEVINS, Vincent: El método Yakarta: la cruzada anticomunista y los asesinatos masivos que moldearon nuestro mundo, Madrid, Capitán Swing, 2021.

- CASALS MESEGUER, Xavier and UCELAY-DA CAL, Enric: El fascio de las Ramblas: los orígenes catalanes del fascismo español, Barcelona, Pasado & Presente, 2023.

- DEL HIERRO, Pablo: Madrid metrópolis (neo)fascista: vidas secretas, rutas de escape, negocios oscuros y violencia política (1939-1982), Barcelona, Crítica, 2023.

- FERNÁNDEZ PASALODOS, Arnau: Hasta su total exterminio: la guerra antipartisana en España, Barcelona, Galaxia Gutenberg, 2024.

- FRANCO, Marina and FELD, Claudia: ESMA: represión y poder en el centro clandestino de detención más emblemático de la última dictadura argentina, México DF, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2022.

- FRANCO, Marina: Un enemigo para la nación: orden interno, violencia y subversión, 1973-1976, México DF, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2022.

- GERLACH, Christian: Sociedades extremadamente violentas: la violencia en masa en el mundo del siglo XX,México DF, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2015.

- GRIFFIN, Roger: Modernismo y fascismo: la sensación de comienzo bajo Mussolini y Hitler, Madrid, Akal, 2010.

- HORNE, Gerald: The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America, New York, New York University Press, 2014.

- LOK, Matthijs: Europe against Revolution: Conservatism, Enlightenment, and the Making of the Past, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2023.

- LOSURDO, Domenico: War and Revolution: Rethinking the 20th Century, Londres i Nova York, Verso, 2015.

- MALESEVIC, Sinisa: El auge de la brutalidad organizada: una sociología histórica de la violencia, València, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2020-

- MANN, Michael: El lado oscuro de la democracia: un estudio sobre la limpieza étnica, València, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2009.

- MAYER, Arno J.: Las Furias: violencia y terror en las revoluciones francesa y rusa, Zaragoza, Prensas de la Universidad de Zaragoza, 2014.

- MAYER, Arno J.: La persistencia del Antiguo Régimen: Europa hasta la Gran Guerra, Madrid, Alianza, 1994.

- MERRIMAN, John: Masacre: vida y muerte en la Comuna de París de 1871, Madrid, Akal, 2024.

- PAXTON, Robert O.: Anatomía del fascismo, Barcelona, Península, 2005.

- PONTORIERO, Esteban Damián: La represión militar en la Argentina, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento, 2022.

- REYBROUCK, David: Revolución: Indonesia y el nacimiento del mundo moderno, Madrid, Taurus, 2022.

- RÍOS SIERRA, Jerónimo: Historia de la violencia en Colombia: 1946-2020. Una mirada territorial, Madrid, Sílex, 2021.

- RÍOS SIERRA, Jerónimo and AZCONA, José Manuel: Historia de las guerrillas en América Latina, Madrid, Catarata, 2019.

- RODRÍGUEZ JIMÉNEZ, José Luis: Bajo el mando del Caudillo: nazis, fascistas y colaboracionistas en la España franquista, Madrid, Alianza, 2024.

- RODRIGO, Javier and ALEGRE LORENZ, David: Comunidades rotas: una historia global de las guerras civiles, 1917-2017, Barcelona, Galaxia Gutenberg, 2019.

- STRAEHLE, Edgar: Los pasados de la revolución: los múltiples caminos de la memoria revolucionaria, Madrid, Akal, 2024.

- TERNAVASIO, Marcela: Los juegos de la política: las independencias hispanoamericanas frente a la contrarrevolución, Zaragoza, Prensas de la Universidad de Zaragoza-Siglo XXI, 2021.

- THEWELEIT, Klaus: Male Fantasies. Volume 1: Women, Floods, Bodies, History, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1987.

- THEWELEIT, Klaus: Male Fantasies. Volume 2: Male Bodies, Psychoanalyzing the White Terror, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1989.

- TRAVERSO, Enzo: Revolución: Una historia intelectual, Madrid, Akal, 2022.

- VINCE, Natalya: The Algerian War, The Algerian Revolution, Londres, Palgrave, 2020.

- WADE, Rex A.: 1917, la Revolución rusa, Madrid, Esfera de los Libros, 2017.

Software

Excel, Word and Power Point

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 51 English second semester afternoon
(PAUL) Classroom practices 51 English second semester morning-mixed