Chapter 12
- Consider a major social movement, such as the civil rights movement in the United States or the feminist movement. Can the various theories of revolution discussed in this chapter explain the case of the social movement you have chosen? Do the theories need to be modified in some way and, if so, how?
- This chapter draws a number of distinctions between different types of contention (e.g., revolutions, social movements, terrorism, and so forth). Scholars vary in terms of how like and unlike each other they take these different forms to be. Are these forms of contention variations on a theme, or different in essence, or somewhere in between? What are the implications of your answer for our efforts to explain different forms of contention?
- Some societies—such as France, China, and Russia—have strong revolutionary traditions. Others, such as Brazil and arguably the United States, do not. What might account for these differences? What would the various theories considered in this chapter suggest?