Order and Chaos: How Structure Affects Revolt.

While particular occurrences of revolt behavior may vary widely in their specifics, they betray certain generalities that are only imperfectly described by extant explanations of such phenomena. I propose an agent-based model of citizenry and state that recovers such commonalities as the unexpectedness of revolution and its relative historical scarcity, while maintaining enough diversity in the underlying population so as to make the theory generally applicable. Using this model, I explore both the effect a wide variety of interpersonal network structures can have on the likelihood and the form of revolt, and the way in which revolution, and an oppressive government's attempt to stifle it, can alter the shape of society. My findings suggest that the exact structure of social networks matters substantially. In particular, violent reaction by the state to unrest is seen to have far more of an effect on revolt dynamics in a segmented, village-like society than in a more connected, modern one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]