What is a &quot;revolution&quot;?
<p><em>Texas v. White</em> is generally regarded as the case that established that US states cannot unilaterally secede.  The majority opinion stated that the union between Texas and the other States could not be dissolved:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>. . . except through revolution or through consent of the States.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>How is "revolution" distinguished from secession and civil war?  Did Chief Justice Chase ever elaborate on this, or did any other case ever examine this detail of the ruling?  Is a "revolution" simply a militarily successful secession?</p>

<p>According to Dorf in "<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qOSzUg6soG4C&amp;pg=PA82&amp;lpg=PA82&amp;dq=Texas%20v.%20White%20and%20%22revolution%22&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=hyJ4PJMMgQ&amp;sig=VyOKjMiuW7vVm8NJtSLTBgP8tzk&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=8I2aVaD5MY7boASBrYj4CA&amp;ved=0CEEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&amp;q=Texas%20v.%20White%20and%20%22revolution%22&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow">No Litmus Test: Law Versus Politics in the Twenty-first Century</a>" revolution "is the repudiation of the existing legal regime." He goes on to state that "any change at all could be authorized by a successful revolution &ndash; in the sense that after the revolution the legal rules that existed under the prior constitution would have no further independent force." </p>

<p>This essentially means that revolution is the complete dissolution of the then current government. Without a government, there can be no upholding of laws. Revolution is different from secession and civil war in that secession and civil war leave the existing government intact but repudiate that government's control over the seceding parties. </p>

<p>A secession can occur without a revolution (though not in the US, as that case states). Likewise, a revolution can occur without a war. Secession can occur with or without a war. And a revolution can occur with a war and without secession.</p>

<p>Succinctly: civilians revolt, factions war. </p>

united-states constitutional-law