Introduction

This introduction covers some key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Violence among men goes back to the beginnings of human history, when Cain slew his brother Abel and later asked the question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Violence among citizens, of which revolution is the most extreme sort, probably goes as far back in the history of government. The book is concerned with finding out when and why people withdraw the surrender to government of their power to kill and coerce. The behavior of men in revolutions is in accordance with normal psychological principles that now can be discovered and tested by laboratory and other rigorous scientific analyses. Men who revolt are acting predictably. The chapters in the book are a step in the direction of ascertaining the theoretical principles in accordance with which revolutionary action can in time be predicted.