Mistakes of the Peasants' Revolts

Every once in a while, the "people" actually rise up and smash the systems that oppress them. The Peasants' Revolt is a typical example. The people almost always make a grave mistake in their coup plotting and fighting: they think the "government" is a thing instead of people. The nobles and the king don't make that mistake.

The peasants in 1381 England actually all but won. They were attempting to cast off the feudal/medieval system that was an anachronism in post bubonic plague Europe and had even conceived of alternatives, but went to war with their masters to force them to ratify their demands. That is, to make their government agree to do what they wished, rather than take what they wanted. The peasants wanted the power relationship to remain the same, that is continue to be ruled, while dictating the terms of the new relationship.

In our time, the same version of the peasants' mistake might be fighting a system instead of just creating new ones.