From Lenin to Wałęsa

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the ideological revolutions of the twentieth century were fundamentally about human rights, and human dignity in particular. By human dignity, I refer to an amalgam of primarily economic but also social and political rights. Throughout the century, revolutionaries capitalized on conditions of human rights deprivations under the ruling regime and mobilized supporters based on promises of rectification. Regime changes were far less about ideology (e.g., communism, democracy) than they were about ensuring human dignity. In most cases, the new ideologies and elites driving change brought new sets of human dignity shortcomings with them. I explore this argument with an in-depth analysis of regime change in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century and Poland at the end. In each case, I find that promises of human dignity, starting with ensuring the preservation of life and basic economic conditions for survival, were the rallying point for change.