Revolutions as a catalyst for change are always going to be 'world changing' events. By their nature a revolution pertains to either the overthrow of an existing political system or a dramatic change in ideas or practice. Yet one must consider the wider world in context. Whilst in all cases the revolution will change the immediate area, which may be considered by the local populace their 'world', in a wider context the actual impact of the revolutions may not have such an impact, or as in most cases that will be set out in this essay the revolutions will be set as a part of a larger set of circumstances. Revolutions are never isolated incidents, but a reaction to events viewed by a section of the populace, which they view to be unjust or wrong.
The degree of success in changing the world is exceedingly difficult to ratify. In some systems such as Marxist Communism, the fruits of revolution may yet bloom from the failures of the democracy we are now living in. Thus the impact of the 1917 Russian Revolution may still be considered to be carrying on to this day within China, Cuba and North Korea, and these nations, especially in the Far East may yet change the world in the name of the Communist ideals they follow. Even now the impact of the French revolution can be seen within the democratic ideas the country shows, and through her actions within the European Union, upholding the constitutional ideals held by the original revolutionaries from back in 1789.
To answer such a multi faceted question as has been set here, one must first consider the different types of revolution that can take place. Firstly a proletarian revolution spawns from below where the general populace, largely peasants, rises against the ruling class. Whilst Marxist thinking would deem this a 'true' revolution, in reality the lack of organisation especially in a world before modern communications technology preve...