POLB92H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mexican Revolution, Voluntaryism, Foco
Document Summary
Lec02 review from last class dependent vs. independent variable state, regime and government structural versus voluntarist theories rational vs. non-rational. Minimal definition: instances in which state or political regime is overthrown by a popular movement in an irregular fashion. Maximal definition: rapid, fundamental, and often violent transformation of a country"s state structure, social structure, that is accompanied by mass- based revolts from below. State and social structure defines minimal definition. State transformation: destruction of old army; creation of new one. Transformation of social structure: class structure; Large scale nationalization of private property: french revolution was the other way. Major and reform, destruction of land owning class: russian revolution, destruction of traditional institutions. Characteristics of revolutions violent rare: smashing class and state not easy without violence, mass repression in russia, france, china, usually accompanied by international factors, mass mobilization required rare, state collapse rare. Clear examples of maximal revolutions vast majority of states never experienced revolution france 1789.
