CHARACTERISTICS OF REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS ARE IDENTIFIED UNDER THE TOPICS OF LEADERS, FOLLOWERS, IDEOLOGY, ORGANIZATION, TECHNIQUES, AND EXTERNAL SUPPORT. ONE IRONY OF REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS IS THAT THE SOCIAL CLASS OF REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS APPROXIMATES THAT OF POLITICAL ELITES MORE CLOSELY THAN IT DOES THE SOCIAL CLASS OF THOSE POPULATIONS THE REVOLUTIONARIES CLAIM TO BE SUPPORTING. WHATEVER THE SOCIOLOGICAL GAP BETWEEN REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS, AND WHATEVER THE PARTICULAR PREDISPOSITIONS AND SKILLS OF REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP, THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT IMPROVES ITS CHANGES OF SUCCESS THROUGH ACCESS TO SOCIETY'S DOMINANT INSTITUTIONS. THIS ACCESS MAY BE THROUGH DEFECTORS FROM THE RULING CLASS OR THROUGH REVOLUTIONARY SYMPATHIZERS WHO CONTINUE TO EXERCISE SOME MEASURE OF LEGITIMATE POLITICAL AUTHORITY. REGARDLESS OF THE PERSONAL TALENTS OR IDEOLOGICAL RESOLVE OF ITS LEADERS, NO REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT CAN SUCCEED WHICH LACK ACCESS TO THE REGIME IN POWER. A REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT'S SUCCESS ALSO DEPENDS UPON BROAD BASE APPEAL. TECHNIQUES OF REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS VARY ACCORDING TO THE DEGREE OF ACTUAL POWER A MOVEMENT POSSESSES WITHIN THE DOMAIN TARGETED FOR CHANGE. THE WEAKER THE POWER, THE MORE LIKELY VIOLENCE WILL BE USED AS A TACTIC. TERRORIST VIOLENCE MANIFESTS THE GREATEST OF WEAKNESSES. FACTORS AFFECTING REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT'S POWER INCLUDE THE STRENGTH OF THE LEGITIMACY OF EXISTING POLITICAL POWER, ELITE FRAGMENTATION, AND THE COMPARATIVE DEPRIVATION PERCEIVED BY THE POPULACE. FACTORS LIMITING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BROAD-RANGE THEORY OF REVOLUTION ARE EXAMINED. FOOTNOTES, A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND AN INDEX ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)