Skocpol's Theory Of Revolution
In her book,
States and Social Revolutions,
Skocpol, a
renowned expert on revolutions, emphasizes her belief that it
is not revolutionaries who make revolutions. She argues that
revolutions are non-voluntarist, that is many groups want to
take power, but only one does. She also believes that the
state has to weaken in order for the revolution to occur. Her
study concentrates on the socialist revolutions, and the role
of peasants in those revolutions. Thus, she does not give
much thought to the American Revolution. The American
Revolution did not involve peasant mobilization, since upper-class
lawyers were the main force behind a change in authority.
Because Skocpol sees peasant revolutions as the only true
ones, it is difficult to apply her theories to this
Revolution. American Revolution was not a socialist revolution, it
was a democratic one; there was no one person who took power,
but rather a three-branch government was invented. According
to Skocpol, this was not a real revolution. But since her
theories are very narrow and are made to fit her examples, one
should not be induced to believe that the American Revolution
was not a true Revolution.
