Resistance Movements and Regimes Lecture

Contentious politics

Extra-institutional political activity than that can range from petitions to protests to riots to gain political change

Political opprotunity structure

The way a country’s political system shapes, promotes, checks or absorbs the challenges it confronfronts from organized civil society

Relative deprivation theory

The gap between individuals/groups expectations and the capacity to achieve them

Resource mobilization theory

Grievances without leadership and resources do not become sustained movements

Ex. of a nonviolent path to democracy

The solidarity movement in Poland that started as a trade union movement

Ex. of a violent path to democracy

FMLN in El Salvador, a guerrilla movement that ended in a peace treaty and a democratic regime

4 outcomes of movements

Successful transition, pacted transition, elite led transition, no transition

Pacted transitions

Results in compropromises between the movement leaders and the current regime and/or gradual transitions including immunity from punishments and/or “golden parachutes” that allow former leaders to leave the country, produce more consolidated democracies in the long term

Elite led transition

Reform from above, ex. after the death of a longstanding ruler, often gradual and starts small