Toward+a+Fourth+Generation+of+Revolutionary+Theory

If I read this article in may, I would be amazed. Really, do you claim you know everything? //Jack A. Goldstone, “Toward a Fourth Generation of Revolutionary Theory,” in Nelson W. Polsby, ed.,// Annual Review of Political Science //4 (Palo Alto, California: Annual Reviews, 2001), pp. 139-187.// Summary Efe - Third generation defined revolution as “revolutions—“rapid, basic transformations of a society’s state and class structures…accompanied and in part carried through by class-based revolts from below”, but this definition ignored several other variables such as ideology, religion, coalitions etc. - Third generation also expanded on class conflict to explain revolution - Three reactions came to this type of study o This structure was applied to a number of diverse set of cases. o Third generation was criticized for not paying necessary attention to agency, religion, culture etc.  o Scholars try to combine social movements and revolution literatures - Shortly speaking, revolutions have a common set of elements o Efforts to change the political regime that draw on a competing vision of a just order o A notable degree of informal or formal mass mobilization o Efforts to force change through noninstitutionalized actions - Revolutions can be categorized by types of actors or outcomes: great, political, social, elite etc. - An account of revolution must focus on elite-popular alignment, processes of revolutionary mobilization and leadership, variable goals and outcomes of revolutionary actors and events. **Causes of Revolutions:** - International system o International military and economic competition o Direct military and diplomatic intervention o Absence of intervention or withdrawal of support from a regime - Relations among states, elites, and popular groups o Do states have financial and cultural resources to carry out the tasks that they are expected to by elites and popular groups? o Are elites largely united or deeply divided or polarized? o Do opposition elites link up with protest by popular groups? o When talking about a state, we talk in terms of effectiveness and justice. Three social changes/conditions might undermine these: § Defeat in war § Sustained population growth in excess of economic growth § Colonial regimes and personalist dictatorships (because of their dependency on support) o Elites should be divided, polarized, and supported by mass (traditional or informal) mobilization to cause political crises which might or might not lead to a revolution. **Processes of Revolutions** - Structural conditions only talk about what causes the conflict, but not the shape or the outcome. - Identities are important – attachment to the group helps to justify and validate individual reaction to the status quo and creates a sense of empowerment. Also, the state itself might create an oppositional identity by pointing out enemies of the state. - Ideology is a constructed sum of beliefs, arguments and judgments. Ideologies (ideally) o Inspire a broad range of followers by resonating with existing cultural guideposts o Provide a sense of inevitability and destiny about its followers’ success o Persuade people that the existing authorities are unjust and weak - Leaders are also influential in the outcome. - Gender relations in rhetoric and practice might differ. - Micro-level foundations are practically rational choice and social psychology. They look at how/why revolutions occur. o Four motivation for individuals to join in a protest: changing incentives, using community obligations, arranging contracts, using authority. o Sanctioning and group identification - Quantitative analyses look at linear regression (Boolean analysis) o Regime type, international trade, and infant mortality o Regime type has a U-shaped relation to political unrest - A revolution is over – well practically when it’s over. No consensus. - Domestic outcomes: Reduce inequality, establish democracy, provide economic prosperity (are the claims, reality is just the opposite.) - International system: A new regime will cause war. - Instability is still a problem (so there will be political unrest and revolutions) - Revolutions are processes: perceptions and relations among actors are important. - In conclusion, a new study of regimes should focus on conditions that maintain stability rather than causes of revolutions. By doing so, prediction will be better (because we cannot really predict revolutions through structural factors). These conditions will provide an inclusive perspective.
 * Main point:** After third generation of theory, people wanted to add more stuff to understand the causes of revolutions, it is no longer only structure. But fourth generation of these theories should focus on what holds regimes together instead of explaining why revolutions occur.
 * Outcomes**