Revolution v. Civil War

[wayfriend]

It could be both at the same time.

S'what I been sayin.

But when is it only one, and when is it only another? That's harder.

Can you have a war of revolution without a civil war? Perhaps, if the system you are overthrowing is externally imposed, and so one side is not the same country as the other. Perhaps this is the basis of calling the American Revolution a revolution. Or any other colony that forcibly seperated from the colonizer.

Still, in some sense the American colonies and Britain were the same nation at that time, in that the colonies were British territory ruled by Britain, and the colonists were considered British subjects, and many colonists fought on the side of Britain. I have a hard time not calling that a civil war, although no one does.

[Vraith]

It could be both at the same time.

S'what I been sayin.

But when is it only one, and when is it only another? That's harder.

Can you have a war of revolution without a civil war? Perhaps, if the system you are overthrowing is externally imposed, and so one side is not the same country as the other. Perhaps this is the basis of calling the American Revolution a revolution. Or any other colony that forcibly seperated from the colonizer.

Still, in some sense the American colonies and Britain were the same nation at that time, in that the colonies were British territory ruled by Britain, and the colonists were considered British subjects, and many colonists fought on the side of Britain. I have a hard time not calling that a civil war, although no one does.

I have no problem calling it a civil war [starting at the end of your post]...in fact I insist it IS a civil war, and ONLY a civil war. We were not a "colony" like India and other places. The "Colonies" and Britian were one nation, as you say. [though of course, Native Americans would disagree, for good reason, in other contexts, but not applicable for this argument....although, man I fucking wish the "revolutionaries" had become "one nation" with the natives, THEN warred. Completely different scenario, that.]
All revolutions are a kind of civil war. But not all civil wars are revolutions.