REBELLION, an uprising with force and arms against established authority. A rebellion may be an armed outbreak for the purpose of obtaining the redress of a grievance or pre venting the enforcement of an obnoxious law; Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts having been an example of the former, and the Pennsyl vania Whisky Insurrection of the latter. Re bellion of a more formidable character is that which attempts to establish a new and inde pendent organization in place of the existing government. Such was the American Revolu tion and such also was the unsuccessful at tempt to perpetuate the Southern Confederacy. Old World rebellions have been chiefly dynastic, at least up to the 19th century— that is, wars between reigning families and others, usually akin to them, which claimed the right to rule. The rebellion against Charles I of England was of a different character, being prompted by aspirations for civil liberty and religious re form. The expulsion of James II was of a similar motive and the American Revolution was a struggle for the inalienable rights of man.
In former ages and up to a very recent pe riod conquered rebels were treated with great severity, being put to death, maimed or en slaved. In partly civilized countries such as China, rebels are treated now with the greatest cruelty. The more advanced nations, however, while retaining on their statute books the Draconic code of times gone by, treat beaten insurgents with leniency. After the downfall
of the Southern Confederacy the only penalty inflicted was the disfranchisement for a time of the leaders of the rebellion, all being eventu ally admitted to the full rights of citizenship. British subjects who took sides with the Boers in the late South African War were, when con victed, imprisoned for short terms and dis franchised, although most of them probably escaped all punishment.
With the extension of suffrage came a con sequent ability of the people to secure redress of wrongs without resort .to violence. The causes which provoked rebellion in olden times are disappearing, while, apart from Carlist in surrections in Spain, there were no dynastic rebellions in Europe until after the opening of the World War in 1914, when the most notable ones were in Russia, where the Romanoff dynasty was displaced, Tsar Nicholas an flouncing the abdication of himself and his son, the immediate heir, 17 March 1917; and in Greece, where King Constantine abdicated 12 June 1917, on the demand of the protecting Powers, following a rebellion centring in Crete under the leadership of former Premier Venizelos.