The Oxford dictionary defines revolution as a forcible overthrow of a social order. Here are some short synopses of some of the world’s greatest revolutions.

The American Revolution (1775-1783)

This Revolution is sometimes reffered to as ‘The American War for Independence’. This revolution was a result of a conflict between 13 British colonies in North America and its ruling country Great Britain. Social, political and other issues fuelled the revolution. The seven-year-war (1754-1763) inspired the Americans to fight for their freedom against the British empire. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, was one of the great leaders who took part in this great revolution.

French Revolution (1789-1799)

French revolution is one of the history’s major revolutions in which the French society and politics were widely transformed. The people of France revolted against the dictatorship of King Louis XVI.

Russian Revolution (1917)

The 1917 Russian Revolution was marked with the two major uprisings. One was in February, 1917 which overthrew the Russian Monarchy, and the other that established Russia as the world’s first communist state. The Russian Revolution was powered by the famed political party ‘Bolshevik Party’, which was under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, one of the most prominent Communist leaders of world. The Bolshevik Party seized power in Russia in the October Revolution of 1917. The party was later called the Communist Party. The Communists founded the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in 1922 and ruled the country until its collapse in 1991.

The non-violent revolution led by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr also achieved success. In the context of Nepal, there have been several revolutions. The popular movement of April 2006 powered by the alliance of seven political parties of Nepal brought a decade-long Maoist insurgency to an end.