ALTHOUGH CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL SCIENCE PORTRAYS SOCIAL SYSTEMS AS BEING RELATIVELY STABLE, INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AND VOLATILITY ARE NOT RARE. THEREFORE, AN IMPROVED IMAGE OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM SHOULD PROVIDE A BASIS FOR INCORPORATING VIOLENCE AND SOCIAL DISCONTINUITIES INTO ANY SOCIAL ANALYSIS. THE PROPOSED CONCEPTION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR REVOLUTION ASSUMES THAT THE POSSIBLITY OF SOCIOPOLITICAL CONFLICT IS ALWAYS PRESENT. ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS POTENTIAL VARIES BETWEEN CULTURES, THE POSSIBLITY OF VIOLENCE IS A 'NORMAL' CHARACTERISTIC OF SOCIETIES WHICH CAN BE MEASURED AND RELATED TO OTHER SOCIAL FACTORS. ANY ATTEMPT TO MEASURE THE LIKELIHOOD OF REVOLUTION SHOULD ENCOMPASS THE SOCIAL SOURCES OF STRAIN AND TENSION PRESENT IN SOCIETY AND SHOULD EMPHASIZE THE SYSTEM BY WHICH SOCIETY MANAGES AND REDUCES ITS PERSISTENT CONFLICTS. REVOLUTIONS RESULT FROM UNSUCCESSFUL TENSION MANAGEMENT, WHEREAS PEACEFUL POLITICS INDICATE SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL CONTROL. A SOCIETY'S REVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL IS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE CULTURE'S 'FRAGMENTATION' OF SUBSYSTEMS WITHIN THE SOCIETY. ALTHOUGH A SOCIETY MAY DEVELOP MANAGEMENT DEVICES TO HANDLE STRUCTURAL CONFLICTS, THE SOURCES OF CONFLICTS MAY REMAIN AS SUBGROUPS WHICH BECOME RUTHLESS IN THEIR PURSUIT OF SEPARATE GOALS. THE ALLOCATION OF PRIORITIES DURING SOCIAL CHANGES, SUCH AS INDUSTRIALIZATION, AFFECTS THE REVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL OF A SOCIETY, BUT THE PROCESSES OF CHANGE ARE IMPERFECTLY CORRELATED TO ACTUAL REVOLUTIONS. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (TWK)