Theda Skocpol defines social revolutions as “rapid and fundamental transformations of the state and class structures of a society…accompanied and partly carried forward by class revolts from below” (4). Over its course, a social revolution may experience a period of radicalization in which the initial revolutionary regime is overthrown by a more radical one that implements policies that overturn most aspects of the Old Regime and replace them with new extremists. These policies result in a period of widespread terror during which the state detains and/or executes large numbers of people for crimes that may or may not have been committed. To account for the radicalization that occurred in both France and Russia, it is necessary to begin by identifying two fundamental variables. The first, the initial revolutionary seizure of power by a non-radical group, took place in France in October 1791 and in Russia in February 1917. The second, the failure of radical policies to please a large majority of the masses , had begun playing in France in 1793 and in Russia in November 1917. By tracing the effects of these variables over time, it is possible to explain the phenomenon of radicalization. Two prevalent theories that attempt to explain radicalization are modernization theory, advocated by Samuel Huntington, and aggregate-psychological theory, postulated by Ted Gurr. In modernization theory, Huntington states 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). However, as in the case of France and Russia,…both Russia and France took complete control of the state to maximize their power and implement their policies. Furthermore, the fear of losing their newly acquired power to resistance forces who disapproved of their policies pushed the Bolsheviks and Jacobins to eliminate all threats, culminating in a period of widespread terror within 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.