This introductory chapter explains the central role of psychology in revolutions, as well as the psychological perspective for understanding revolutions. The central puzzles to be solved include the puzzle of why at a deep level so little changes after revolutions, and why so many revolutions against dictatorships result in new dictatorships coming into being. There are potentially thousands of revolutions that could be the focus of this book, and the selection of the French, Russian, Chinese, Cuban, and Iranian revolutions as the focus of this book is explained. The contents of the book are briefly explained: Two chapters focus on psychological theories relevant to revolutions, three chapters on regime change, and (very importantly) three chapters on what happens in the post-revolution period. It is during this post-revolution period that typically moderates get pushed aside and extremists take over. In the final part of the book, one chapter presents a new psychological model of revolution, and another chapter addresses the question: Does human nature doom revolutions? Finally, in the Afterword, revolutions are interpreted as acts of collective creativity.

Intergral to the neglect of group and intergroup relations in mainstream psychology is the almost complete absence of research on the psychology of revolution. From the perspective of the poor, the psychology of revolution is an important topic because it relates to a possible path for improving the lives of the masses. However, a psychological assessment of revolutions reveals that in most cases they bring about a change in rulers, but not a change in the system of government or end group-based inequalities in society. In many cases, revolutions against a dictatorship result in one dictator being replaced by another, as has happened in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Russia, China, Iran, the Arab Spring countries and many other cases. The main reason for revolutions not leading to foundational changes in justice and inequality is limitations in political plasticity, how much and how fast political behavior can change. Political plasticity is shaped by hard-wiring both inside and outside individuals, with hard wiring outside individuals often being the most important factor. Political plasticity is very limited in domains such as leader-follower relations. These limitations in political plasticity can be overcome through extensive and in-depth programs of civic education.