Abstract
We have looked at how the Russian Revolution occurred. Explanations centered around (1) the breakdown of a society (mass unrest) (2) stressed by fundamental technological change (industrialization) with (3) events triggered by a major action (war), pursued (4) under incompetent leadership (Nicholas II), and (5) as society was spinning out of control (soldier mutinies) opportunists seized power (Lenin). Thus, unstable societal conditions (society dimension) can provide opportunities for individuals (individual dimension) to act incompetently or competently in gaining and holding power. Societal dynamics does involve particular (historical) individuals who change the general patterns (sociology) of a society – individual and society. Such historical individuals are opportunistic, seizing power over a society during times of instability.
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References
Clark, Ronald W. 1989. Lenin: The Man Behind the Mask, London: Faber and Faber
Gorin, Vadim, 1983. Lenin: A Biography. Progress Publishers
Read, Christopher, 2005. Lenin, Abingdon: Routledge (2005),
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Betz, F. (2012). Ideology and Dictatorship. In: Societal Dynamics. Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management, vol 11. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1278-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1278-6_2
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