Theda Skocpol defines social revolutions as "rapid and fundamental transformations of the state and class structures of a society...accompanied and partly led by class revolts from below" (4). As it unfolds, a social revolution may experience a period of radicalization in which the initial revolutionary regime is overthrown by a more radical regime that implements policies that overturn most aspects of the Ancien Régime and replaces them. by new extremist regimes. These policies result in a period of widespread terror in which the state arrests and/or executes large numbers of people for crimes that may or may not have been committed. To account for radicalization, which occurred both in France and in Russia, we must begin by identifying two fundamental variables. The first, the first revolutionary seizure of power by a non-radical group, occurred in France in October 1791 and in Russia in February 1917. The second, the failure of radical policies to appease a large majority of the masses, had begun to play a role. in France in 1793 and in Russia in November 1917. By tracing the effects of these variables over time, the phenomenon of radicalization can then be explained. Two dominant theories that attempt to account for radicalization are modernization theory, defended by Samuel Huntington. , and global psychological theory, advanced by Ted Gurr. In modernization theory, Huntington asserts that a “revolution becomes more radical as larger and larger masses of the population are brought onto the political ladder” (41). Huntington argues that this empowers radical groups by boosting their popularity and in turn allows them to create “a new political order” under their rule (41). Yet, as in the cases of France and Russia... middle of paper ..., in both Russia and France, they took full control of the state in order to maximize their power and implement their policies. Furthermore, the fear of losing this newly acquired power to resistance forces who disapproved of their policies, caused the Bolsheviks and Jacobins to eliminate all threats, resulting in a period of widespread terror in each country. Works Cited Doyle, William. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Huntington, Samuel P. and Jack A. Goldstone. Revolutions: theoretical, comparative and historical studies. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986. Pipes, Richard. A Concise History of the Russian Revolution. New York: Knopf, 1995. Skocpol, Theda. States and social revolutions: a comparative analysis of France, Russia and China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979.