Urban uprisings are large-scale breakdowns of the social order within a city. Ranging from widespread acts of peaceful civil disobedience to violent rebellion, urban uprisings are noteworthy for their bottom-up, spontaneous natures, with the uprising often being sparked by a particular event. While urban uprisings have occurred for many reasons throughout history, they are typically expressions of racial, political, or economic discontent. Although they may be part of series of related events in other cities, urban uprisings are distinct from open insurrections across entire regions or countries, which would more properly be considered civil wars.