Caught in the Crossfire: Revolution, Repression and the Rational Peasant
Author(s): David T. Mason (Author)
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Publication Date: 28 Jan. 2004
Language: English
Print length: 328 pages
ISBN-10: 0742525384
ISBN-13: 9780742525382
Book Description
Caught in the Crossfire presents a multifaceted explanation of why people participate in something as dangerous and uncertain as a revolutionary movement. Beginning with an analysis of the grievances that motivate peasant participation in political movements, the book also explores the additional factors_leadership, resources, and strategies_required to mobilize peasants for collective action. Collective action itself need not be violent, but a repressive state response can quickly transform a reformist movement into a revolution. Mason shows how different strategies on the part of various actors can result in a government victory, a rebel victory, or a negotiated settlement. The book concludes with a look to the future: Will the emerging trends toward political democratization and economic globalization make revolution in the countryside more or less likely?
Editorial Reviews
Review
….[The book’s] strength lies in lucid and comprehensive explanations of the various theories of social movement, reflecting the author’s many years of scholarship in this area. ― Political Science Quarterly
Mason has produced a highly effective review of scholarship and perspectives on peasant/rural-based civil wars―defined as revolutions aimed at overthrowing the government and wars of secession when the goal is separate sovereignty. This impressive work is well organized and thorough. It offers instructive reading for public scholars and public policy makers in an era that continues to see revolts resultant from economic inequality and ethnic and religious divisions within weak states. Highly recommended. ―
CHOICE
Civil war has rent major parts of the Third World since World War II. How and why? T. David Mason here brings together theoretical insight, extensive evidence, and long observation of rural conflicts in a new, valuable synthesis. — Charles Tilly, Joseph L. Buttenwieser Professor of Social Science, Columbia University
About the Author
T. David Mason is professor of political science at the University of North Texas, Denton.
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