This page gathers Theda Skocpol’s research on revolutions, spanning her books, including States and Social Revolutions, and articles in journals such as Comparative Studies in Society and History and Theory and Society. From France, Russia, and China to Iran, these works examine how crises of the state and revolts from below combine to transform whole societies.
Articles
Reflections on an Anniversary
Theda Skocpol. Politics Vol. 44, No. 4 (2024)
[Online Link]
Categories: Research Article and Revolutions
Rentier State and Shi’a Islam in the Iranian Revolution
Theda Skocpol. Theory and Society Vol. 11, No. 3 (May 1982), pp. 265-283
[PDF]
[Online Link]
Categories: Research Article and Revolutions
France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions
Theda Skocpol. Comparative Studies in Society and History Vol. 18, No. 2 (April 1976), pp. 175-210
[PDF]
[Online Link]
Categories: Research Article and Revolutions
Books
States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China
A comparative study arguing that social revolutions grow out of state crises and class structures rather than the intentions of revolutionary movements. Winner of the C. Wright Mills Award and the American Sociological Association Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Award.
Vision and Method in Historical Sociology
Essays on the leading figures of historical sociology and the research strategies behind their work.
Bringing the State Back In
An influential collection that returned the state to the center of social science research as an actor in its own right.
Social Revolutions in the Modern World
Essays that extend and revisit the structural approach of States and Social Revolutions, including analyses of the Iranian Revolution and revolutions in the developing world.