Debating the Principles that Govern Revolutions

Revolutions have always remained the fascination of many academics. Studied and exploited in a wide variety of forms for an even larger range of reasons, by both dictators, historians and sociologists alike, the framework through which revolutions are analysed and broken down, as well as the principles of revolution, has evolved over the years as a greater number of ‘revolutions’ began to occur, with increasingly divergent characteristics. Much debate has ensued, largely focused on the different types of revolutions, the role of structure versus human agency, how ‘revolutionary success’ can be measured and defined, and whether or not revolutions must solely be studied in context and hence greater comparative and generalising statements cannot be effectively drawn from the study of revolutions.