ABSTRACT
In a 1974 article, Ted Gurr argued that a stable political system is "one whose authority patterns remain similar over a long period of time." By and large, when one speaks about stability, one is talking about relations between two or more things, about relationships among variables, among groups, among institutions. The concept of stability implies the idea of a system of recurring or continuing relationships. This chapter illustrates the points which have been made about stability as a historical pattern of change by reference to several quite different societies, beginning with the Soviet Union. Two broad theories exist concerning the intrinsic stability of democratic political systems. The optimistic theory holds that because of the opportunities they provide for political articulation, mobilization, and organization, democracies have intrinsic tendencies towards stability. The pessimistic theory, on the other hand, was perhaps most succinctly articulated by John Adams, who said, "Democracy never lasts long; it soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.
