“革命”研究:革命的原因、性质和目的——从《国家与社会革命》谈起

Studies in the "Revolution": Its Causes, Nature and Purpose

茜达·斯科克波尔《国家与社会革命》是西方“革命学”研究中影响较大的一本书。该书认为在法、俄、中三国革命中,对外战争失败导致革命;区别“政治革命”与“社会革命”的标准是有没有农民造反,革命的目的是“创建国家”。斯科克波尔的观点是值得商榷的,革命的根本原因是社会转型的需要;农民问题也不能作为判断“社会革命”的惟一标准;至于是革命推翻了旧国家还是旧国家的崩溃才引发了革命,显然是前者。

Theda Skocpol's States and Social Revolutions, an influential book in revolution studies in the West, argues that in cases of France, Russia and China, revolutions were caused by defeats of those countries in foreign wars. The criterion of Skocpol' s distinction of ' political revolutions' from 'social revolutions' is whether they involve 'peasant revolts', and that the purpose of a revolution is to 'establish a state'. The views of Skocpol are questionable. The fundamental cause of a revolution is the need for social transformation. 'Peasant revolts' are not the only criterion for judging 'social revolutions'. When it comes to the question whether a revolution overthrows a regime or the breakdown of a regime leads to a revolution, the present author believes that it is the former.