If Skocpol gives us the structural take, Kurzman gives us the chaos. His study of the 1979 Iranian Revolution shows how everything can change overnight.

Everyone thought the Shah’s regime was unshakable. But it fell like a house of cards. Mobilisation happened because mobilisation happened — a cascade, a feedback loop, with religious students kicking it off. They weren’t trying to win or avoid death — they acted from transcendental belief. And once the tipping point hit, the whole country joined in.

It’s a reminder: just because a regime looks stable doesn’t mean it is.

– Roger Hallam
Read Roger’s top ten list of books from prison here.