People who study revolutions share many traits with people who
study the weather. Both groups worry about cataclysms: when they
might hit, how long and intense the duration of the storm, and
how best to plan for the aftermath. The one difference, of
course, is that no one can effectively steer the weather, while
often human beings can (or at least try to) deflect revolutions
on a different or reverse course. In its infancy, the study of
cataclysms, whether they’re revolutions or hurricanes, focuses
on causes. What forces combine to create the cataclysm? If you
know what causes a revolution, you’re well on your way to
predicting when it might happen—just as meteorologists issue
storm warnings, sometimes under clear skies, when atmospheric
bumps and troughs begin to collide. There is no comprehensive
theory of what causes revolutions on which all social scientists
and historians agree. Instead, theories generally break down
into two camps: - Revolutionary furor. Outrage, in this
perspective, fuels revolution. R