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Is civil war now impossible in European nations?

  
 
lord henry strikes back
20:59 / 27.04.07
This is prompted by the discussions (past and present) about US gun control.

I'm not suggesting that it should happen, or that I want it to, but do the mostly non-gun owning populations of western Europe now have the capability to rise up against thheir leaders in a conventional war?

One of the reasons I hear quite often for free(ish) ownership of guns in America is that the founding fathers wanted the people of their new nation to be able to protect themselves against abusive power. Given that in Europe, with a couple of exceptions, the people neither have weapons, nor easy access to them, would it be possible for them to wage a civil war against their governments of the sort that can be seen in certain African nations? The IRA in the UK/Ireland, ETA in Spain, and a number of others wage(d) long running terrorist/liberation (depending on your point of view) campaigns, but not to the level that I would consider a civil conflict.

So, could it be done? If so, what form would it take? And, for extra credit, if it is impossible, is it a good thing that political/cultural difference now has to be dealt with in a non-violent (though I admit, not non-destructive) manner?
 
 
Red Concrete
23:43 / 27.04.07
You should probably draw a line between popular uprisings with the aim of overthrowing a government, and the likes of the IRA ar ETA, who want one sort of secession or another of their particular region. (also the SNLA?? I'd never heard of them before today..)

Also civil war itself is another thing entirely - usually an all-out war or at least skirmishes of some sort between two clear sides, usually with the aim of deciding who will lead the country - I think that's distinct from a popular uprising.

To address the question of popular uprisings in particular, I think it's historically quite rare that "the people" rise and seize power. It's usually some special interest group or other who do so. In cases in Europe in the past few decades where the people have overthrown governments (mostly eastern Europe / Balkans), they have been mostly non-violent. Even when they involved the army (e.g. Russia, Portugal).
 
  
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