The concept of revolution in social forms: a sociological analysis

This thesis presents a sociological analysis of the concept of revolution in social forms. It is argued that any concept of revolution makes available a version of the relationship of speech to language. The concept of a revolution in social forms is grounded in a view of the relationship of the revolutionary enterprise to the dialectical transformation of man's nature or essence. Two modes of orientation to Marx's revolutionary theorising are analysed: 1. The principled version which understands Marx's theorising as offering a concept of revolution as universal and engaged orientation to principle. 2. The rule-bound version which views Marx as representing revolution in terms of technique - the 'correct rules' for subverting capitalism. We investigate the redirection of the principled vision in Marx by Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky and Mao. Finally we consider the rediscovery and development of the principled tradition in tendencies within modernism