It is always said that “politics is the art of achieving the possible,” and we can say that “revolution is the art of achieving the impossible”.
The moment of revolution is not an ordinary moment in political time, and the laws of monotonous politics do not apply to it under normal circumstances, rather it is an explosive volcanic moment, which liberates energies that would not have been liberated in other circumstances, and sharpen their anxieties and resolve that would not be sharpened in other circumstances, and take out the most beautiful thing in society The most noble and the best.
The revolution needs strategic sense, precise planning, and political imagination, just like any rational political practice, but what it needs most is moral strength, solid will, firm belief in the justice of its cause, and insistence on victory regardless of the sacrifices, because the revolution is a struggle of existence, not a conflict of borders. , And a subjunctive movement not claiming.
The commander of the American Revolutionary Forces, General George Washington, was of steel determination, and an unwavering belief in the justice of his cause. He did not despair, nor did he have a channel, but rather he remained clinging to hope, betting on the future.
At the end of the year 1776, the fledgling American Republic was only 6 months old, as the American revolutionaries declared in the middle of that year (on July 4, 1776) independence from the British Crown, and the establishment of a federal republic out of the 13 British colonies on the coast of the American continent.
This new and fragile nation entered into an unequal battle with the British imperial army, which was at that time the most powerful armies in the world, the best organized and disciplined, and the best military technology.
After 6 months of fighting, the forces of the American Revolution led by General George Washington (1732-1799) were in tatters.
Those forces, fabricated from a group of militias from the 13 American states, suffered reprehensible defeats at the hands of the British army, and these successive defeats led to a decline in the moral strength of the revolutionary forces, the loss of the American masses of the hope of success in the revolution, and the reluctance of the states to send volunteers and money to support the revolutionary forces.
Everything was driven to despair and led to surrender;
The American Revolution lost New York City, and the US Congress decided to flee Philadelphia, the capital of the wealthy and fledgling American Republic, and move to Baltimore, fearing that the British army would invade Philadelphia.
In the successive defeats, General Washington lost most of his forces, killed, captured, deserted, and surrendered to the attacking British forces.
General Washington's forces were not an army in the full sense of the word, but were mostly dispersed from the fighting factions and militias, each of which came from a state, and there was no clear legal link between them, nor a strict military hierarchy, and none of them had received professional military training of the kind they had received. British army you are fighting.
But the commander of the American Revolutionary Forces, General George Washington, was of steel determination, and an unwavering belief in the justice of his cause. He did not despair, nor did he have a channel, but he remained clinging to hope, betting on the future.
Washington began to think of any way to achieve a new victory that would restore the luster and vitality of the American Revolution, and the confidence of the American people in it, so he decided to attack Trenton Castle, which was home to a powerful force of German mercenaries who were recruited by Britain to fight with them the revolutionary forces rebelling against the British crown.
The seizure of Trenton Castle was the only hope for the American Revolution to rebound from its miserable state. In the castle, there is a plethora of equipment, ammunition, food and clothing, which General Washington's forces need to survive and avoid final defeat.
But the task was very difficult, as it was separating the castle from the Revolutionary Army (Delaware) River, and the river was almost frozen in the depths of winter, and General Washington had to cross it with his forces, during a snowstorm, in rickety boats, and in the last watch of the night, so that he could Surprise his enemy.
He has no hope of victory - due to the imbalance of power - except by taking his enemy by surprise.
Washington abandoned his family, his vast estates, and his vast money, to lead the forces of the American Revolution in the jungles, bottoms and snow.
His military and political leadership was of a flexible, inspiring, and understanding leadership style, as he realized that he was leading an army of enthusiastic volunteers, not wage mercenaries.
Historian David Fischer described in his book “Crossing Washington” the state of Washington and the American Revolutionary Army at that critical moment in the life of the American Revolution, saying, “In 12 weeks, General Washington lost a large area of 3 states, and 90% of the forces he command .. and returned Thousands of Americans pledged allegiance to the British Crown, including one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, and many supporters of the revolution were despaired and dismayed.
But moral strength and strategic initiative ultimately saved the American Revolution.
Fisher says, "The Americans established a nation without a state and an army without discipline ... But the Americans had their strengths; their cause is just, and they are fighting over a land they know well, and they were a religious society, whose religiosity helped it to endure and to endure the difficulties of conflict."
The leadership of George Washington was the best inspiration for the American revolutionaries in their hour of difficulty, because it provided them with the good example of toughness and sacrifice.
Washington abandoned his family, his vast estates, and his vast money, to lead the forces of the American Revolution in the jungles, the bottoms and the snow.
His military and political leadership was of a flexible, inspiring, and understanding leadership style, as he realized that he was leading an army of enthusiastic volunteers, not wage mercenaries.
"Washington was at the center of all decisions, and he always listened, inspired, and led. He rarely asked, commanded, or hated," Fisher says.
The forces of the American Revolution in (Trenton) won a decisive victory in a surprise attack on the morning of December 26, 1776, and the Battle of (Trenton) entered history from its widest gates, as it is the battle that changed the course of the American Revolution, American and world history, and transported the American Revolution from the straits of Despair reached horizons of hope, and it restored her strength and fatwa, and won her the support of some important European powers.
Washington took control of the castle, and the enemy expanded captives and killed, and only two fighters froze from the cold that night.
Americans have devoted a large number of historical documentaries and dramas to commemorate the Battle of Trenton, including the historical film "The Crossing".
The two most important characters in the battle - and in the movie as well - were George Washington and Colonel John Glover (1732-1797), one of his brave and clever officers, who saved the American Revolutionary Forces before that from annihilation after the humiliating defeat in the Battle of Brookins, New York, when he transmitted that Troops in a fog close to Manhattan Island.
The film "El Obour" depicts the difference between the revolution and other monotonous political patterns, as we opened this article.
In the movie, General Horacio Gates (1727-1806), who is captivating to traditional thinking in politics and war, appears in the film, advising Washington to surrender, saying, "Surrender, this revolution is over!"
He describes the fighters of the revolution - with the arrogance and dullness of unimaginative professionals - as a bunch of amateurs, not professional soldiers.
But Washington responded by expelling General (Gates) from his camp immediately, fearing for his forces to spread this defeatist spirit.
In another telling scene, General Washington asks Colonel John Glover, “Can you cross the river with our forces?” Glover replies, “I can't, but I will.”
Washington asks him, "What does that mean?" And Glover replies, "It means that the whole operation is crazy, but if you are determined to go to Hell, I will take you to it."
Here two lessons emerge from the history of revolutions, namely: that the revolution is not the art of achieving the possible, but rather the art of achieving the impossible, and the second is that the revolution needs an inspiring leadership that gains the revolution’s trust in its toughness, sacrifice, and moral energy, and its strategic initiative capable of benefiting from every door that opens, or An opportunity is available.
Whatever the counterrevolution does, including delaying the victory of revolutions, or raising their price on the people, the lesson of history indicates that real revolutions stemming from the consciousness of people and the depths of societies may bend or falter, but they do not fade away or break.
One of the fruits of the supportive victory in (Trenton) was the influx of American volunteers to fight in the Revolutionary Army, until its number doubled in a short period, then the flow of French financial and military support for the revolution.
France was the traditional enemy of Britain at that time, and its heart was with the American Revolution from the beginning, but it was not sure of its chances of victory, and it did not want to venture into a losing battle, but the victory in Trenton changed the French thinking towards the American Revolution, so France was freed from hesitation to support it. And she decided to bet on her in revenge against Britain, which defeated and insulted France a few years earlier in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
In preparation for the Battle of Trenton, it was clear to General Washington and Colonel Glover that revolution is not the art of achieving the possible, but the art of achieving the impossible.
Ten years after the outbreak of the Arab Spring revolutions, the psychological war is still at its fiercest against the Arab revolutionaries, and the relentless pursuit of the Arab counter-revolution and its regional and international backing to sow despair in the hearts of the revolutionaries, and distract Arab peoples from any horizon for change.
But the lesson of history from the Battle of (Trenton) teaches us that this moment when psychological warfare intensifies, and field retreats accumulate, is the moment when we must adhere to the truth and hope for the future.
The greatest enemies of the Arab revolutions today - like all the great revolutions - are the culture of despair and constraint, the weakness of hope for the future, the preoccupation with self-flogging of the tyrants, and negativity under the pretext of neutrality.
It may be necessary for the peoples in revolt today to rationalize their revolutions and assimilate the lessons of the history of world revolutions before they reach their goal.
But no matter what the counterrevolution does in delaying the victory of revolutions, or raising their price on the people, the lesson of history indicates that real revolutions stemming from the consciousness of people and the depths of societies may bend or falter, but they do not fade or be broken.
The Arab Spring is a type of renewed spring that the Tunisian poet - the cradle of the Arab Spring - Abu Al-Qasim Al-Shabi sang in verses from his poem "The New Morning" in which he says:
The magic of life / Khaled does not go away
So why doubts / of darkness that transforms
Then the morning / seasons pass
There will be a spring / if there is a spring