"The mother of revolution and crime is poverty"(Aristotle) Do you agree?

I would disagree to the statement, as revolution and crime are not only caused by poverty (although it is undeniable that poverty can lead to them), but also a variety of other reasons including greed, hate, or by the need for a political reform. Thus, to say that poverty is the 'mother of revolution and crime' would be incorrect as that statement can only stand if it is the sole reason.

There are many reasons for revolution, but history has shown that the most significant reason would be the need for political reforms. Cases such as in Germany with Hitler or in Russia with the Tsar all rose due to the general population being so unhappy with the rule of the moarchy or government that they planned a revolution to take over and remove incapable or unpopular leaders from the seats of authority. Although poverty among the people might be one of the reasons why there was the need for political reforms, it is merely one of many and therefore cannot be regarded as the root problem. For example in Germany's case, Hitler led a revolution through the unhappiness brought about by unemployment and war instead of simply the poverty of the people.

Another reason for revolutions would be for power and/or a dynastical ambition. This is seen predominantly in ancient China where people often planned revolutions against the Emperor for the sake of power and in hope that they would in turn become the Emperor and leave the empire to his descendents after they pass away. Thus, pure greed is also another reason why people plan revolutions even in cases where no reform is need. One should note that in such cases, the widespread chaos and instability caused cannot never be justified.

Crime, too, has many reasons for being committed. Once again, one cannot deny that poverty can lead to people committing crimes in order to survive, yet to assume that this is the primary reason would be naive. There are a multitude of reasons crimes are committed, with hate, lust, greed and more among the list.

One reason why crimes are committed is simply hate. Murders, kidnaps, and even robberies can be committed due to hate that can be based on a personal level or even due to the victim's race, religion or beliefs. Lust is another factor that can lead to crime, namely that of rape or molestation. Greed can also lead to people attempting robberies or kidnaps even if they aren't living in poverty as they may desire great wealth and deem their current financial situation not satisfying. Thus, there are multiple reasons as to why crimes are being committed.

Of course, as the statement suggests, poverty can lead to crimes being committed. People that are unable to even meet the basic requirements for a suitable standard of living naturally turn desperate and may turn to crime in order to earn the money needed to stay alive and feed one's family. In such cases, these people may turn to peddling drugs or selling pirated goods in order to get by.

In conclusion, to claim that the sole and/or primary reason that revolutions and crimes occur is due to poverty would be a fairly wrong statement, as it fails to recognise that although poverty plays a part, there are countless other factors worth considering. As such, my stand once again would be that i disagree to this statement by a fair extent.