Bridging theories of social and revolutionary movements

How can theories of social movements and revolutions help us understand the rise of collective action, their tactical and strategic choices, and their prospects for succeeding? By reviewing past and recent developments in the literature of social movements and revolutions, I argue that in comparison with social movements scholars, structuralists of revolutions more accurately used theories of threat and breakdown in understanding what triggers revolutions and revolutionary situations. Nevertheless, because scholars of revolutions usually distinguish types of revolutions based on outcomes after supposed clear endings, they have missed important insights from the literature on movement continuity that might guide us towards new understandings of revolutions. Moreover, both fields have followed similar paths in terms of contributions and gaps in the study of emotions, spontaneity, tactics, and repression in collective action.