THIS STUDY ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN CRIME AS A RATIONAL RESPONSE TO A SITUATION OR A PROBLEM THAT SERVES A FUNCTION FOR BOTH THE OFFENDER AND SOCIETY. IT IS THEORIZED THAT CRIME CAN SERVE AS A SAFETY VALVE FOR SOCIETY BY ALLOWING THE RELEASE OF HOSTILITIES AND THE LESSENING OF FRUSTRATIONS BEFORE THEY ACCUMULATE AND BECOME DIRECTED AGAINST THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIETY OR AGAINST THE STATE. THE BROAD STATISTICAL PATTERNS OF CRIME OVER THE 19TH CENTURY ARE ANALYZED IN TERMS OF THE MAIN TRENDS IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME AND THE RISING STANDARD OF LIVING ASSOCIATED WITH PROSPERITY IS STUDIED. DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN CRIME ARE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE TYPES OF CRIMES COMMITTED AND IF IT CAN BE ISOLATED. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PATTERNS OF DELINQUENCY AND THE SOCIAL UPHEAVAL WHICH ACCOMPANIED INDUSTRALIZATION AND URBANIZATION ARE REVIEWED SO AS TO ESTABLISH ANY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION. CRIME CAUSES ARE VIEWED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION, RELATIVE DEPRIVATION, AND SOCIAL CONFLICT MODELS, AND THE FOLLOWING GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ARE DRAWN FROM THIS ANALYSIS: (1) VIOLENCE BECAME MORE FREQUENT BUT LESS SERIOUS DURING THE 19TH CENTURY, (2) URBAN CRIME WAS NOT MORE VIOLENT THAN RURAL CRIME, (3) TRADITION WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF VIOLENCE PATTERNS AT THE END OF THE CENTURY, (4) TOTAL INCIDENCE OF VIOLENCE WAS NEGATIVELY RELATED TO THEFT AND POSITIVELY RELATED TO THE BUSINESS CYCLE DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE CENTURY, (5) ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH VIOLENCE, AND (6) HOMICIDE ROSE RELATIVE TO SUICIDE IN TIMES OF PROSPERITY AND HIGH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BUT DROPPED RELATIVELY IN TIMES OF CRISIS. THESE CONCLUSIONS STRESS THE FACT THAT URBANIZATION DOES NOT NECESSARILY LEAD TO SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT INCREASES IN VIOLENCE DURING URBAN GROWTH REPRESENT THE RETENTION OF TRADITIONAL PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR IN A NEW SETTING. IT IS RECOGNIZED THAT SOCIAL TENSIONS ARE HIGHER IN RURAL SOCIETIES THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSUMED. TAVERN BRAWLS, FAMILY SQUABBLES, AND HOMICIDAL FEUDS SERVED AS A TRADITIONAL OUTLET FOR FRUSTRATION AND AN EXPRESSION OF SOCIAL CONFLICT. AN INDEX, TABULAR DATA, A BIBLIOGRAPHY, NOTES, AND APPENDIXES DETAILING STATISTICAL ANALYSES ARE PROVIDED. (JCP)