Why did Scar's "revolution" fail?

[Stalinator]

As we all know Scar overthrew his brother in a coup and implemented immense social changes. For the first time the hyenas were given equal rights to the lions. However at the end of the movie we saw Scar's regime in ruins with a famine looming.

A few reasons for this could be either that the famine was totally unrelated to Scar's reforms and was simply a natural disaster. More likely however is that his reforms led directly to the subsequent famine. He promised the hyenas the same amount of food as the lions received under the old regime. However supplies were not increased, only demand. That is the most obvious reason for the looming famine. Another possibility is that the lions purposely over-hunted in an attempt to sabotage Scar's regime or just as an act of protest against the reforms.

Could this have been avoided? I say yes. With a strict regiment of rationing for both lions and hyenas the food supplies could have been sustained. Population controls would have had to be put in place as well to prevent an explosion of predators that would unbalance the ecosystem.

What do you all think was the reason for Scar's reforms failing? Was the famine avoidable or unavoidable? Do you think his ideas may have worked if implemented by somebody more sincere?

[TheLionPrince]

Scar threw the natural balance of prey and predator off balance. As Mufasa said in the beginning, "everything you see here exists together on a delicate balance, and as king, you need to understand that balance and respect all creatures." When the prey population declined, the grass and the trees in which they feed on overgrows, and eventually dies out. The natural withholding of the rainfall was out of Scar's hands, but the water consumption definitely multiplied to the point where the water resources have evaporated. With the land becoming exhausted and water resources being consumed rapidly, the animals have no choice, but to leave elsewhere in order to survive.

Only parts of the drought Scar could have avoided such as not have the lionesses overhunt in order to accommodate the hyena population. The zebras, antelopes, and gazelles had to mate and produce more babies in order to make up for the shortage of the population. Having a exodus of a small population of the hyenas to another grasslands would have helped. Either way, Scar would have to ration the resources until the grasslands recovers from exhaustion. As I said above, the natural rainfall is something Scar could not control (unless he performed a rain dancing ritual). Scar could have done it, but what he lacked was the knowledge of how the Circle of Life worked, and the conviction to do what was necessary since he was consumed with pride, arrogance, and his intellect.

[DGFone]

Why do most Communist systems fail?

Because Scar ran out of other people's money. Well, food.

As in, he promised the hyenas all the food they want. After they helped him, he gave them all the meat they wanted - even though he was using up more game than was coming into the pride lands, and the herds already in were unable to cover the deficit. So when the herd moved on and the numbers dwindled even further, there was suddenly no more food left. The money ran out. Now Scar is still having the hyenas serving him, but in effect, he is not paying them for their service.

In any form of government or economic system, when an army doesn't get fed/paid, it won't fight.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

He was short sighted.

[Stalinator]

[quote="TheLionPrince"]Scar threw the natural balance of prey and predator off balance. As Mufasa said in the beginning, "everything you see here exists together on a delicate balance, and as king, you need to understand that balance and respect all creatures." When the prey population declined, the grass and the trees in which they feed on overgrows, and eventually dies out. The natural withholding of the rainfall was out of Scar's hands, but the water consumption definitely multiplied to the point where the water resources have evaporated. With the land becoming exhausted and water resources being consumed rapidly, the animals have no choice, but to leave elsewhere in order to survive.

Only parts of the drought Scar could have avoided such as not have the lionesses overhunt in order to accommodate the hyena population. The zebras, antelopes, and gazelles had to mate and produce more babies in order to make up for the shortage of the population. Having a exodus of a small population of the hyenas to another grasslands would have helped. Either way, Scar would have to ration the resources until the grasslands recovers from exhaustion. As I said above, the natural rainfall is something Scar could not control (unless he performed a rain dancing ritual). Scar could have done it, but what he lacked was the knowledge of how the Circle of Life worked, and the conviction to do what was necessary since he was consumed with pride, arrogance, and his intellect.[/quote]

Perhaps if Scar "liberated" the region Timon and Pumbaa lived in he could have supported the extra Hyena population. It seemed to be rich in natural resources. Failing that, enacting a strict rationing regime would have helped. He promised the hyenas everything the lions had, but that was not sustainable. Comrade Lenin did not promise that every worker would live like royalty, but he did promise equality. Of course, Scar was not a true revolutionary because he was simply motivated by a lust for power and not a desire to make the world a better place. I do not however think stooping to superstitious rituals would have done Scar much good. It would have simply wasted time. Just look at how much good it did for the Tsar and his cronies.

[TheLionPrince]

[quote="Stalinator"]Perhaps if Scar "liberated" the region Timon and Pumbaa lived in he could have supported the extra Hyena population. It seemed to be rich in natural resources. Failing that, enacting a strict rationing regime would have helped. He promised the hyenas everything the lions had, but that was not sustainable. Comrade Lenin did not promise that every worker would live like royalty, but he did promise equality. Of course, Scar was not a true revolutionary because he was simply motivated by a lust for power and not a desire to make the world a better place. I do not however think stooping to superstitious rituals would have done Scar much good. It would have simply wasted time. Just look at how much good it did for the Tsar and his cronies.[/quote]

Well, one problem is that it is unlikely that Scar knew of Timon and Pumbaa's jungle. As for the superstitious ritual, it was supposed to come off as a joke; perhaps adding a "LOL" would have got the point across.

[DGFone]

Wouldn't relying on the jungle be akin to an invasion?

I mean, going by that, I can very easily make a parallel between Scar being desperate enough to send his hyena forces there as a last resort, resulting in a Lion King version of WWII...

Say, that can work for a writing contest prompt...

[Stalinator]

[quote="DGFone"]Wouldn't relying on the jungle be akin to an invasion?

I mean, going by that, I can very easily make a parallel between Scar being desperate enough to send his hyena forces there as a last resort, resulting in a Lion King version of WWII...

Say, that can work for a writing contest prompt... [/quote]

Truthfully it would, but good PR can make an unjust invasion look like a noble liberation. Knowing Scar any military campaign he launched would just be won through brute force though.

[DGFone]

Unless the other animals created their own version of the allies and attacked back. Plus, won't the lionesses in the pride switch sides? An army of hyenas is an army of hyenas. But them against an entire jungle? I don't want to say that Avatar did something right, but in terms of what happens when you have to fight a jungle on its own terms...