What is the difference between a revolt and a civil war?

A revolt is any conflict in which a group fights against an authority. If its participants fail in defeating the authority, the name of the revolt becomes "rebellion," and its participants are called "rebels," as in Shays' Rebellion and the Whisky Rebellion. If the revolt succeeds, it can be called a "revolution," and its participants are "revolutionaries," as in the American Revolution and French Revolution. During the middle of the revolt, when it is not clear who will win or lose, the conflict remains called a "revolt," (or, specially by the authority, a "rebellion") and sometimes this name sticks even after the conflict has subsided, regardless of who loses or wins. Another interesting point is that a war in which a single country is basically divided, each side fighting for political authority, is called a "civil war" if the rebel side (the side that does not have control of the government while the war is being fought) fails, and a "revolutionary war (a.k.a. revolution)" or "war of independence" if the rebel side succeeds. For example, if the Confederate fighters had won the American Civil War, it would probably be called the "Confederate Revolution." P.S. Many of these terms are confused by the media and others, so its generally safest to use "revolt" or "rebellion" in most circumstances and to call their participants "rebels."