Consistently provocative, thoroughly original in its methods and conclusions, this book questions virtually every assumption about the conditions underlying collective violence. Written by a sociologist, a historian, and an economist, the study presents a comparative history of group behaviour leading to violence in France, Italy, and Germany. The book demonstrates how urbanization, industrialization, and the concentration of political power in these and other Western countries have affected the means ordinary people have had to act together on their grievances and aspirations.