India, Sept. 13 -- History is littered with revolutions, and with the heartbreak that follows them. Crowds fill streets, slogans shake capitals, and for a moment it seems that the old order will finally give way. Yet when the dust settles, people discover that what they overthrew outside still lives within. Systems fall, rulers change, but the conditions of life remain largely the same.

This is the tragedy of outer revolutions: they promise new beginnings, yet too often deliver repetition. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The Forgotten Lesson of History

Europe rose in several great revolts, and America fought a mammoth civil war. Russia removed a Tsar only to enthrone a series of autocrats. The Arab world had its ...