If, in spite of the above said complicated social conditions, vast states 
sometimes exist during centuries without important convulsions, it is on 
account of the fact that there is a ruling power. The power is a priori 
of society, its form and the norm of it. Patriachal power, the power of 
chieftains, of an absolute king, an absolute parliament or a certain combi- 
nation of different kinds of government. Operating direct through its multi- 
tudinous organs — by the policeman in the street, the Judge in Chambers, 
the army in barracks, and in case of necessity in the squares —, the power 
exercises indirectly an even still more potent influence on society. The 
obstacles, presented by law and protected by power, indirectly lead most 
of the turbulent elements in society, — whatever origin they may have, — 
into channels which at least are conformable with the existence of the 
State. Possessing immense possibilities, the power exercises as well an effect 
on the elements of society by positive measures; it governs them, submits 
problems to them, withdraws them from anti-sociability, from destruct- 
iveness. Being the centre of centres, possessing incomparably more strength 
than any other organisation in the country, having in its hands all the 
threads, the power, as long as it believes in its task and keeps striving for 
its fulfilment, can always prevent and cut off any attempts at subverting 
the existing order, and thus a revolution under such a power is practically 
impossible. And what is impossible to-day, can in a year or in ten years 
time lose its fascination, its attraction; for in society various powers are 
always acting, and acting in different directions: arrested tendencies will 
make way for other tendencies which did not encounter obstacles, it may 
be a creating impulse, it may be a new temptation. But the power must 
have an unceasing vitality and act indefatigably. It is enough for it to 
lose its elasticity already in one direction, the mechanism of ruling will 
soon become shattered, the revolution will become possible and therefore 
unavoidable; for the destructive powers are great, and are always active 
in society, — by a good policy, as well as by a bad one. Result: the 
necessary and sufficient conditions for revolutionary upheavals, is the decline 
of the power at a given time in a given country. 
An exact representation of a kind of revolution is given by the divine 
Homer in the tenth canto of the Odyssey. The hero, after many adventures, 
has arrived at the isle of the god Aeolus, who received him kindly, and 
in parting gave him the most precious of gifts: a great bladder with wind 
enclosed in it, which would be invaluable to Ulysses and his companions 
in case of a calm at sea. But sleep overcame the hero fatigued by incessant 
steering of the ship; among the men — who now felt no ruling power 
over them -— trouble arose, and it was decided to see what treasures 
the master carried tied up in the skin. They opened the skin to its fullest 
extent. the escaping wind smashed the rigging of the ship, and scattered