In Nicauragua there was a natural disaster that helped end a dictatorship.

On December 23, 1972 an earthquake struck in central Managua that killed 10,000 people, left 50,000 homeless and destroyed 80% of the city. The disaster starkly revealed the social rifts that had devoloped after years of the Somoza family dictatorship. Somoza profited hugely from the disaster because he pocketed all the foreign aid.

Even the upper class were shocked at what their country had become. The earthquake played an important part in the rise and eventual success of the Sandanistas.

Graham Greene writes about this in his book about Panamian president (and assasination victim) Omar Torrijos as does Gioconda Belli in her autobiography, The Country Under My Skin.

I'm sure there are other examples from history of this happening.

Certainly the stark propaganda spin machine was so exposed during this, it might wake people up.

Mother nature also seemed to have made a bullseye at a number of problems, global warming, oil and bringing the poor up to visibility.

Or, as Santyana famously said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

MojoXN

the benefits of its opposite are so diffuse that, when greed and power intersect, it becomes almost impossible to convince the greedy not to repeat history's failures.

That's where democracy is supposed to come in. Democracy is SUPPOSED to put power in the hands of the people so that concentrated greed doesn't destory society.

it's ALWAYS up to the people to steer the direction of change. a crisis can come in many forms, but regardless of the cause, the fact a previously static system experiences disruption is always a good thing for re-"form."

ness.

The one in Managua (and it's aftermath) revealed the weaknesses caused by dictatorship and the corruption.

Katrina has definitely revealed our society's weaknesses.