Revolution since 1776: Is the American experience a model for developing areas?

Abstract

In the last thirty years, American foreign policy has often involved an opposition to so-called movements of “national liberation.” Critics of American foreign policy charge that such opposition to revolutionary movements fighting against allegedly reactionary regimes involved a betrayal of American revolutionary tradition. In brief, the revolutionary nation in 1776 is accused of being reactionary in 1975. Consideration of the validity of such a charge is especially pertinent at this time when the United States is preparing for the observance of the 200th anniversary of independence. Since there is no doubt about frequent American opposition to current revolutionary regimes, one pertinent question is whether or not such regimes are really comparable to the American Revolution or whether they involved a new and different type of social movement.