ABSTRACT
The study of culture has recently staged a resurgence in sociology and history. Structural studies of revolution, such as Skocpol's (1979), have been criticized for their neglect of ideological and cultural factors (Himmelstein and Kimmel 1981; Sewell 1985b; Arjomand 1986). To this point, I have placed a greater emphasis on structural factors in analyzing the episodes of state breakdown in early modern England, France, Turkey, and China and have given less attention to their ideological elements. The reason for this is straightforward: I have been concerned with elucidating the origins of state breakdown in each of these cases. And I have argued that ideological factors play mainly a supporting role in the breakdown of Old Regimes. It is chiefly after the initial breakdown of the state, during the ensuing power struggles and state reconstruction, that ideology and culture take leading roles.
