On October 28, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library hosted the second in a monthly series of Very Short Introduction Discussions. October’s topic was “Revolutions.”

Oxford University Press's Very Short Introductions offers concise overviews of a diverse range of subjects. The books in the series are written by experts in the field who combine facts and analysis with their enthusiasm for the subject to make for engaging and educational nonfiction. They are available to borrow in print form as well as read online with your library card at nypl.org/vsi.

Revolutions grip society's imagination while continuing to change the world in pursuit of social causes both controversial and fundamental.  If you couldn’t make it to the live discussion, here are some questions to consider while reading Revolutions. Feel free to respond by leaving a comment on this post.

1. When you think of a revolution, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
2. What do you think a revolution should accomplish in order to be a success?
3. According to the author, revolutions take place in order to achieve a socially just society. What is your idea of a socially just society? 
4. If you could predict a revolution was coming in a society, what could you (or would you) do about it?
5. If you were planning to lead a revolution, what signs would you look for in your society or overseas to determine if this was a good time to go forward with your plans?
6. What is the role of a leader in a revolution? What sort of personal qualities, or character traits are necessary in a revolutionary leader? 
7. What were your reactions to the Arab Spring revolutions of the early 2010s? Do you feel like you have a better understanding of what happened now after reading the book?
8. If further revolutions are going to occur in the world, where do you think they are most likely to occur?

After you’ve finished the Very Short Introduction, you might be interested in continued reading on some of the themes explored in the text. We have made it easy for you by linking the author’s “Further Readings” section to our catalog below, and have included SNFL fiction recommendations at the end.

Interested in attending our next online program? Register now for the Very Short Introduction Discussion on “Knowledge,” happening November 23 at 2 PM. December's topic is "Peace."

Further reading from Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction by Jack A. Goldstone

What is a revolution?

• Foran, John. Taking Power: On the Origins of Third World Revolutions. 
• Goldstone, Jack A. Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World. 
• Goodwin, Jeff. No Other Way Out: States and Revolutionary Movements, 1945–1991. 
• Katz, Mark N. Revolutions and Revolutionary Waves. 
• Moore, Barrington, Jr. Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. 
• Nepstad, Sharon E. Nonviolent Revolutions: Civil Resistance in the Late 20th Century. 
• Parsa, Misagh. States, Ideologies, and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines.
• Skocpol, Theda. States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China. 

Specific revolutions

• Goldstone, Jack A., ed., The Encyclopedia of Political Revolutions.

Revolutions in the ancient world

• Forrest, William George. The Emergence of Greek Democracy. 
• Ober, Josiah. The Athenian Revolution. 
• Shaban, M. A. The Abbasid Revolution. 
• Syme, Ronald. The Roman Revolution. 

Revolutions of the Renaissance and Reformation

• Pincus, Steven. 1688: The First Modern Revolution. 
• Weinstein, Donald. Savonarola: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet. 
• Worden, Blair. The English Civil Wars 1640–1660.

Constitutional revolutions

• Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. 
• Doyle, William. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. 
• Huber, Thomas. The Revolutionary Origins of Modern Japan. 
• Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. 
• Kaiser, Thomas, and Dale Van Kley, eds. From Deficit to Deluge: The Origins of the French Revolution. 
• Klooster, Wim. Revolutions in the Atlantic World. 
• Sperber, Jonathan. The European Revolutions, 1848–1851. 
• Wood, Gordon S. The Creation of the American Republic 1776–1787. 

Communist revolutions

• Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. 
• Pérez-Stable, Marifeli. The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course and Legacy. 
• Spence, Jonathan. The Search for Modern China. 
• Trotsky, Leon. A History of the Russian Revolution. 

Revolutions against dictators

• Booth, John. The End and the Beginning: The Nicaraguan Revolution. 
• Keddie, Nikki. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution. 
• Kurzman, Charles. The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran. 
• Womack, John. Zapata and the Mexican Revolution. 

Color revolutions

• Ash, Timothy Garton. The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague.
• Beissinger, Mark. Nationalist Mobilization and the Collapse of the Soviet State. 
• Bunce, Valerie J., and Sharon L. Wolchik. Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries. 
• Kotkin, Stephen. Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse 1970–2000. 
• Thompson, Mark R. The Anti-Marcos Struggle: Personalistic Rule and Democratic Transition in the Philippines. 

The Arab revolutions of 2011

• Cook, Steven A. The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square.
• Lynch, Marc. The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East.

SNFL Recommends: Revolution in fiction

• Zola, Emile. Germinal, 1885
• Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities, 1859