This course offers a comparative analysis of the process of revolutionary change, covering the origins, development, and outcomes of revolutions. The topic for this year will be socialist revolutions and their legacies. A detailed analysis of the revolutionary process in the U.S.S.R., China, and at least one Eastern European state will permit us to address larger theoretical problems, including the relationship between revolution and state-building, the role of the Party, the special challenges of economic "backwardness," and the attempts to construct classless societies. We will conclude by examining recent struggles in China, the U.S.S.R., and Eastern Europe so as to better assess the probable future of popular democracy in socialist states. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.