The only bloodless transition of power I can think of is the Glorious Revolution in England where Parliament invited William of Orange over to take over from James II. Subsequent battles followed yes, but the actual event itself was pretty much 'Hey, come over and take over.'
The American Revolution is a great topic because it's what I did my Masters on, and I'm one of those moustache twirling British people. But it wasn't a bloodless transition of power because the aftermath was a World War.
The idea that the Loyalists were serving a foreign power is also a bit limited in scope. They didn't elect the people who were going about declaring Independence, they didn't agree with them, and in response they fought back and lost. A lot of them died for it too.
Warren's right. You can't just go 'I signed this piece of paper, now my house is a country in and of itself and now I'm God Emperor of Mankind', your power and legitimacy is based on how many people recognize it, and as such all Revolutions will require a transitional period until all parties involved either recognize the new status quo, or they don't have the power to contest it.
Edit: Actually reading this over, by the terms I put out later, the Glorious Revolution had a bunch of failed counter attempts to put James and his sons back on the throne later, so it's not bloodless either. So um, I guess there aren't any really.
The American Revolution is a great topic because it's what I did my Masters on, and I'm one of those moustache twirling British people. But it wasn't a bloodless transition of power because the aftermath was a World War.
The idea that the Loyalists were serving a foreign power is also a bit limited in scope. They didn't elect the people who were going about declaring Independence, they didn't agree with them, and in response they fought back and lost. A lot of them died for it too.
Warren's right. You can't just go 'I signed this piece of paper, now my house is a country in and of itself and now I'm God Emperor of Mankind', your power and legitimacy is based on how many people recognize it, and as such all Revolutions will require a transitional period until all parties involved either recognize the new status quo, or they don't have the power to contest it.
Edit: Actually reading this over, by the terms I put out later, the Glorious Revolution had a bunch of failed counter attempts to put James and his sons back on the throne later, so it's not bloodless either. So um, I guess there aren't any really.
