Renowned American historical sociologist Charles Tilley examines the problems of collective action, illustrating his theoretical calculations, conceptual apparatus and models with various historical and modern examples. Highlighting four intellectual traditions of collective action research dating back to Marx, Weber, Durk-game and Mill, Tilley develops his own tradition synthesizing Marx, Mill and Weber, causal and targeted approaches to explaining collective action, organizational and resource approaches, the model of the political system and the model of collective choice. It shows how historical macro-processes - commercialization, urbanization, industrialization, state-building, democratization, the development of communication technologies - beyond recognition change the repertoire and forms of collective action, transforming the interests and organizational potential of its participants along with macro-structures that provide opportunities and at the same time limit them. The book also presents the original theory of revolution as a special form of violent collective action. The publication is addressed to sociologists, historians, political scientists, philosophers.