When people are not satisfied with things the way they are, they sometimes protest or try to persuade others to change their ideas. They work to change things by criticizing or protesting the old ways and replacing them with new ways. Some protests lead to revolutions. There are various kinds of revolutions. In political revolutions the old powers are overthrown and new people take over the government. In social revolutions the relationships between social classes change, or the population experiences the rise of new social classes or the expansion of existing classes. In economic revolutions wealth changes hands. There are also scientific, industrial, agricultural, artistic, and religious revolutions when old ideas are replaced by new ideas.

In many cultures, artists use their artworks to protest or to bring attention to their ideas. The result can be the overthrow of a system or change within the system. Sometimes a painting, sculpture, or building can persuade just as well or better, than words can.

Art can protest, propose, and provoke ideas.

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