Political Science 4XXX: Capstone in Comparative Politics
Political Science 4XXX: Capstone in Comparative Politics
Objectives: This course explores what has arguably been the most fundamentally transformative set of social processes in the modern world: social revolutions. It is intended to introduce you to two types of material, one theoretical and one empirical. The theoretical material, concentrated in Weeks 3-6 and 11-12, considers arguments about the origins of revolution, factors motivating participation in revolts by social actors, and the outcomes of these upheavals. The remaining weeks explore the application of these theories to a variety of cases, focusing mainly on those in Latin America (Cuba and Nicaragua), but also touching on the French, Russian, Mexican and Iranian Revolutions, as well as on cases of failed revolution (El Salvador and Guatemala) and those in which insurgents failed to gain significant popular support (Peru).
Assignments:
Three short papers (6-8 pages), due on Friday March 13, Friday April 17, and May 12. Each is worth 25% of the overall grade. For each day late, the grade will be reduced by one-third of a letter grade (for example, from A to A-, or A- to B+) Specific assignments for each paper will be distributed in class.
The remaining 25% of your grade is based on my evaluation of the quality of your participation in class.
Topics and Readings:
Note that we have a great deal of ground to cover this semester. I have taken advantage of the fact that the course is small to organize it as three seminar-style meetings per week rather than two lectures and a precept. As a result, while the amoount of reading has not increased, I have divided the reading into three units for most weeks to better focus our discussion. Since we meet twice on Wednesday, this means that the reading load for that day is sometimes quite heavy. Please try to plan accordingly, and to come to class prepared. A significant portion of the course grade is determined by class participation, and in addition the course experience will be more pleasant for everyone if you come to class appropriately prepared.
Three books have been ordered for purchase at Labyrinth Books:
- Sheila Fitzpatrick The Russian Revolution (Oxford University Press)
- Jeff Goodwin No Other Way Out (Cambridge University Press)
- Rigoberta Menchú I Rigoberta Menchú
You may of course obtain these from any other source; and any edition of either is fine. Copies of these will also be available on reserve at Firestone. All other readings are available online through Blackboard. Journal articles can be accessed through the Princeton Library Catalog. Please let me know if you have any questions about locating course materials.
Week 1:
Monday Feb 2: Introduction, course logistics, definitions
Wednesday Feb 4: What is a Revolution? How do we study them?What do we know, or think we know?
- Menchú I, Rigboerta Menchú (entire book)
Week 2: The Russian Case
Monday Feb 9: Russia I
- Fitzpatrick The Russian Revolution pp.1-67
Wednesday Feb 11: Russia II
- Fitzpatrick The Russian Revolutionpp.68-92
Week 3: Towards Theorizing Revolutions
Monday Feb 16: patterns of revolution
- Brinton The Anatomy of Revolution (pp.250-264)
Wednesday Feb 18: Marx, Inequality, and Revolution
- Marx The Communist Manifesto
- Acemoglu and Robinson The Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (2006) pp.15-38.
Wednesday February 18 (precept):
- James Davies ‘Toward a Theory of Revolution’ American Sociological Review vol.27 #1 (1962) pp.5-19
Week 4:Individuals and Revolution
Monday Feb 23: Problems with Davies
- Olson The Logic of Collective Action pp.1-22, 165-167
- McAdam Freedom Summer pp.35-65
Wednesday February 25
- Gouldner The Future of intellectuals and the Rise of the New Class pp.53-66
- Wickham-Crowley Guerrillas and Revolution in Latin America pp.327-339. (please bring these pages to class so we can discuss their contents)
Wednesday February 25 (precept)
- Kuran ‘Now Out of Never: The Element of Surprise in the East European Revolution of 1989’ World Politics vol.44 #1 pp.7-48
- Wickham-Crowley Guerrillas and Revolution in Latin America pp.52-57
Week 5: From “the poor” to peasants: why do peasants (sometimes) revolt?
Monday March 2:
Moral Economy, ‘justice’ and risk:
- Scott The Moral Economy of the Peasant Chapters 1, 2, and 7
Wednesday March 4:
The structure of the agrarian economy
- Paige Agrarian Revolution pp.327-376.
An account from El Salvador:
- Wood Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador pp.195-224
Wednesday March 6 (precept): what can we conclude about the role of peasants? A look back at Russia. (no readings assigned – look back at Fitzpatrick)
Week 6: From peasant revolts to revolution: bringing macro-structures in
Monday March 9
Other Forms of Peasant Resistance – or why are peasant revolts so rare?
- Scott Weapons of the Weak pp.28-47
- Gaventa Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley pp.3-32
Wednesday March 11: Statist Theories of Revolution
- Skocpol Social Revolutions in the Modern World pp.133-166
- Goodwin No Other Way Out pp.35-58.
(No additional readings for precept this week – we will continue to discuss Skocpol and Goodwin)
Week 7: No class (spring break)
Week 8: Cuba
Monday March 23: History and Explanation
- Pérez, Louis A. Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution pp.276-312
- Fidel Castro speech ‘History Will Absolve Me’ can be found online at
Monday March 25: Castro explains his revolution again
- Skim Castro speech ‘I have been a Marxist-Leninist my entire life’ (in Selected Speeches of Fidel Castro pp.11-40) [note: we will compare this speech to the one we read last time]
- Harnecker Fidel Castro’s Political Strategy pp.7-32
Wednesday March 25 (precept): Do the theories we have considered help us understand the Cuban Revolution?
Week 9: Cuba, continued
MondayMarch 30: Can the model be replicated?
- Ché Guevara (1985) Guerrilla Warfare (University of Nebraska Press) edited by Loveman and Davies pp.48-58, 75-84, 117-119, 155-162
- Castañeda Compañero pp.326-390 (skim for argument about why Ché’s revolution in Bolivia failed)
- Stoll Rigoberta Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans pp.137-9, 152-5
Wednesday April 1: can democrats make revolution in Latin America?
- Valenzuela The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Chile pp.50-80.
- Schlessinger and Kinzer Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala pp.35-77
- FILM: ‘The Battle for Chile’ Part II
NO PRECEPT THIS WEEK
Week 10: Central America: Background to Revolution
Monday April 6
- Booth ‘Socioeconomic and Political Roots of National Revolts in Central America’ Latin American Research Review vol.26 #1 (1991) pp.33-73.
- Goodwin No Other Way Out pp.142-179
Wednesday April 8: El Salvador and Guatemala: Failed Revolution
- Goodwin No Other Way Out pp.195-213
Wednesday April 8 (precept): Failure in El Salvador: Elite preferences change
- Wood Forging Democracy from Below pp.52-91.
Week 11: Contrasting Failure and Success
Monday April 13:
Failure in Guatemala:effective counter-insurgency
- Stoll Between Two Armies Chapter Three and Four.
- FILM: Men with Guns (Hombres Armados)
Wednesday April 15: Success in Nicaragua
- Goodwin No Other Way Out pp.180-195.
- Booth ‘The Somoza Regime in Nicaragua’ in Chehabi and Linz Sultanistic Regimes pp.132-152.
Wednesday April 15 (precept): the role of ideas in revolution
- El Salvador: Central America in the New Cold War pp.123-140
- FILM: Romero
Contrast: the failure of Peru’s Sendero Luminosorevolutionary movement
NOTE: These two readings, as you will see, are difficult if not painful. The goal here is to get a sense of how Sendero Luminoso tried to appeal to its followers (you are looking at oral and written appeals; we will talk about other kinds of appeals in class)
- Speech by Sendero Luminoso (Peru) leader Abimael Guzmán ‘We Are the Initiators’ available online at
- Interview with Guzmán, published in a Peruvian newspaper in 1988, available online at
Week 12: Outcomes: Post-Revolutionary Politics
Monday April 20: The Strengthening of the State
- Figes, OrlandoThe Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia (pp.3-11, 34-38, 71-74, 81-93, 96-101, 111-114, 178-186, 234-241, 607)
- Fitzpatrick, SheilaEveryday Stalinism (Chapter Three)
- Skocpol, ThedaStates and Social Revolutions pp.202-205
Wednesday April 22: Outcomes: post-revolutionary regimes
- Domínguez Cuba: Order and Revolution pp.298-305
- Selbin Modern Latin American Revolutions pp.92-125.
- Guillermoprieto, Alma (1994)The Heart That Bleeds: Latin America Now pp.23-46.
- O’Malley The Myth of the Mexican Revolution (pp.9-17, 113-132)
Wednesday April 22 (precept): The end of Castro and the future of Cuba READINGS TBD
Week 13: Revolution and outcomes II
Monday April 27: The ‘new man’ – transformation of the individual
- Cole. Johnetta ‘Women in Cuba: The Revolution Within the Revolution’ in Goldstone, ed. pp.299-308.
- Scott, James C.Seeing Like a State pp.201-218
- Martin, TerryThe Affirmative Action Empire pp.1-15
Wednesday April 29: revolution and economic transformation
- Kelley and Klein ‘Revolution and the Rebirth of Inequality’ American Journal of Sociology (1977)
- Colburn and Rahmato ‘Rethinking Socialism in the Third World’ Third World Quarterly vol. 13 #1 (1992) pp.159-173.
- Fitzpatrick Everyday Stalinism(Chapter Four)
- Eckstein ‘The Impact of the Cuban Revolution: A Comparative Perspective’ Comparative Studies in Society and History (1986) vo.28 #3 pp.502-534.
Wednesday April 29 (precept): Chávez, revolution, and social/economic transformation READINGS TBD