States, Ideologies, and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines

by Misagh Parsa

Between 1979 and 1986 Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines underwent dramatic political and social revolutions. This book examines the conditions and processes that gave rise to revolutions and their outcomes, through an in-depth analysis of economic and political developments in these countries. The author also analyzes the impact of the collective actions and ideologies of the major social groups involved--students, clergy, workers, and capitalists. His book provides a valuable new framework within which to understand the causes of revolutions, their mechanics and development, and their outcomes.

Genres: Political Science

340 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 1996

Reviews

[Ian Fleischmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally do not care for political science-based approaches to explaining historical trends in social movements as the number of potential variables are immense and no reductionist approach could possibly account for all necessary intricacies. That being said, Parsa's approach appeared well-grounded in history and the end result was less a formula for predicting revolution as an exploration of principles of social revolution. While I could find no glaring fault in Parsa's argumentation, I have to admit I know very few historical details about the pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary societies in Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. He could easily pull the wool over my eyes but his conclusions were general enough for common application (ala Jomini) while leaving room for the unique interplay of domestic politics.