What is the difference between rebellion and revolution? These two words seem almost the same, except that rebellion is generally more distasteful.
Dictionary.com lists definitions of rebellion:
re·bel·lion [ri-bel-yuhn]
noun
1. open, organized, and armed resistance to one's government or ruler.
2. resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition.
and those of revolution:
rev·o·lu·tion [rev-uh–loo-shuhn]
noun
1. an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.
Best Answer
I think the dictionary says it all.
A revolution can be bloodless, without rebellion.
And rebellion being an organized armed resistance may or may not lead to a revolution. Even the aim of a rebellion may not be a revolution at all: it may be for example to get certain privileges from the government, such as changed taxes, lifting ban on a certain worship, secession of a region, removal of a notorious minister or resignation of the current king without ending a dynasty.
That said, a revolution is not necessarily a successful rebellion.