Why do people rise up, and what outcomes emerge when governments are overthrown and new forces take power? Drawing on studies of events in Guatemala, Russia, Cuba, Mexico, and a range of other cases, we will ask why revolutions emerge in some settings and not others, why people do (and do not) mobilize for change in their societies, and why some uprisings succeed in taking power while others are defeated. We will then ask about the changes that revolutions bring in the social, economic, and political realms do we see greater freedom and equality in post-revolutionary society, or do revolutions fall short of their promises? And what explains the consequences that we observe? Overall, we will ask why revolutions arise, and how they transform society and the world.