Intended for undergraduate students in history and social sciences, this primer on revolutions explores the definitions, causes and effects of political revolutions and examines important examples in history to highlight key comparative points and related features. Beginning with a discussion of causes of revolution and revolutionary life cycles, the volume covers liberal and nationalist revolutionary forms, Marxist and religious revolutions, leadership, mobilization, and outcomes. A series of appendices provide case studies on important historical revolutions, including the American and French revolutions, the Russian revolution, and more modern events such as the Iranian revolution, Serbian nationalist revolutions and the East Timorese independence movement. VanInwegen is a professor of political science at Whitworth University, Washington. Annotation ⓒ2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)