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Introduction

Archie Brown

in The Gorbachev Factor

Obstacles to democratization and pre‐conditions for transformative change are examined, as are changing evaluations of Mikhail Gorbachev. The weakness of the dissident movement in the first half of ... More

Obstacles to democratization and pre‐conditions for transformative change are examined, as are changing evaluations of Mikhail Gorbachev. The weakness of the dissident movement in the first half of the 1980s and the modesty of expectations of change when Gorbachev succeeded Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader are noted. The radicalization of Gorbachev's policies is related to his learning process, to the strengthening of his political power between 1985 and 1988, and to societal pressures. Gorbachev outwitted the traditional holders of institutional power who imposed constraints upon the General Secretary's freedom of action but he was also responsible for the creation of new countervailing powers, more broadly based than the old ones, which ultimately undermined his institutional authority. The diversity of view within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union became increasingly apparent as the novel phenomenon of a serious reformer in the Kremlin allowed these divergent opinions to come out into the open.Less

Contentious Politics in Western Europe and the United States

Sidney Tarrow

in Governing Europe

The first part of this chapter examines the four main types of political contention outlined in the introduction to it: expressive contention, reformist contention, integral contention and communal ... More

The first part of this chapter examines the four main types of political contention outlined in the introduction to it: expressive contention, reformist contention, integral contention and communal contention. The second section looks at how contentious political movements change; the four types frequently intersect, combine and transmute from one form to another. The types of change considered here are institutionalization, radicalization of once–moderate movements, the creation of hybrid forms of organization and strategy, and the privatization of movement activists. The third section of the chapter turns to how states interact with movements and considers the hypothesis that Western Europe and the United States are, in some ways, becoming movement societies. The chapter closes on a speculative note: how are European social movements – which arose in relation to the national state – being affected by the forces of ‘globalization’ and European integration in today’s world?Less

1968

Hugh McLeod

in The Religious Crisis of the 1960s

This chapter examines the social and religious upheavals of 1968. In the later 1960s, hopes for speedy and radical changes in both church and society were at a very high level. Christian radicals ... More

This chapter examines the social and religious upheavals of 1968. In the later 1960s, hopes for speedy and radical changes in both church and society were at a very high level. Christian radicals often suffered a double disappointment. Many radicals left their churches, and those Christian organizations that had been most sympathetic to ‘1968’ were severely upset. However, it would be wrong to exaggerate the extent either of the radical defeat or of the conservative resurgence. Many of those who had been influenced by the ideas and movements of that time remained within, or returned to their churches.Less

Young Egyptians’ Quest for Jobs and Justice

Linda Herrera

in Being Young and Muslim: New Cultural Politics in the Global South and North

Youth in Egypt and throughout the Muslim Middle East are the most educated and globalized generation in history. Yet they are coming of age in a climate of unemployment, repressive regimes, a youth ... More

Youth in Egypt and throughout the Muslim Middle East are the most educated and globalized generation in history. Yet they are coming of age in a climate of unemployment, repressive regimes, a youth bulge, moral panics about radicalization, and an escalation of regional geopolitical conflicts with no resolution in sight. Despite their centrality to reforms for economic and political development, we tend to know little about youth lives, lifestyles, opinions, and visions for societal change. This chapter uses the life history method to understand the trajectories of young lives and to know from the young themselves about how they relate to politics, the economy, education, and citizenship. Their stories testify that youth may not be so much preoccupied with religious politics as they are with jobs and justice, arguably the defining issues of this youthful generation.Less

The Terrorism Act 2006: Discouraging Terrorism

Tufyal Choudhury

in Extreme Speech and Democracy

The UK's Terrorism Act 2006 makes it an offence for a person to publish statements that directly or indirectly encourage or induce a person to the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of ... More

The UK's Terrorism Act 2006 makes it an offence for a person to publish statements that directly or indirectly encourage or induce a person to the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. These new ‘encouragement offences’ constitute a significant restriction on the exercise of the fundamental right of free expression. Its threat to free speech arises not only from specific prohibitions and prosecutions but also the wider chilling effect on expression. This chapter examines the potential contribution the new offence might make to the government's desired aim of preventing violent radicalization. It looks at the efficacy of the legislation in two respects: firstly, the role that the impugned statements play in the radicalization process; and, secondly, the potential for the criminalization of such statements to be counter-productive and undermine the government's broader counterterrorism strategy. It is argued that radicalization is largely a private process. Public statements that encourage acts of terrorism may contribute to this process but are not central to it. Furthermore, the provisions in the legislation that aim to proscribe such statements are drafted with a degree of breadth and vagueness that increases the risks of the legislation becoming counterproductive. The uncertainty surrounding the scope of the new offences and the discretion needed to enforce the legislation in a climate of distrust and fear between parts of the Muslim community and public institutions will reinforce perceptions of discrimination and unjust enforcement of counterterrorism laws, which in turn will undermine the broader counterterrorism strategy.Less

The General Election of 1885

PATRICIA LYNCH

in The Liberal Party in Rural England 1885-1910: Radicalism and Community

This chapter explores the causes and the nature of the dramatic changes that overtook the rural Liberal party between 1884 and 1886. The first three sections, which focus on the constituencies of ... More

This chapter explores the causes and the nature of the dramatic changes that overtook the rural Liberal party between 1884 and 1886. The first three sections, which focus on the constituencies of Holmfirth and North Essex, show that labourers in many parts of England possessed longstanding traditions of radical social protest that inspired them, once enfranchised, to demand a voice first in the choice of a Liberal Parliamentary candidate and then in the planning of the Liberal election campaign. The fourth section addresses the subject of rural divisions where the Liberals lost the election. The fifth section discusses the effect of household enfranchisement on the local Liberal moderates who had previously controlled the party in the counties, and particularly the ways in which the democratization of local party structures and the radicalization of the Liberal agenda alienated moderate support.Less

The Attempt at Liberalization

Graeme Gill and Roger D. Markwick

in Russia's Stillborn Democracy?: From Gorbachev to Yeltsin

On achieving power, Gorbachev initially sought to introduce a range of political and economic measures that would remedy the system's problems without fundamentally changing its structure. However, ... More

On achieving power, Gorbachev initially sought to introduce a range of political and economic measures that would remedy the system's problems without fundamentally changing its structure. However, this process of reform became radicalized in the second half of 1986. The notions of perestroika, glasnost and democratisation signalled the attempted liberalization of political life. This radicalization of the programme provoked more determined resistance on the part of conservative opponents, which in turn stimulated further radicalization of the measures Gorbachev sought to introduce. This dynamic led to the adoption at the XIX Conference of the Communist Party in mid‐1988 of measures designed to revolutionize the political system. The programme of liberal reform had become a programme of systemic transformation, which paradoxically undercut the authority of the party and unleashed new political forces.Less

Conclusion

Alison Sharrock

in The Arab Minority in Israel, 1967–1991: Political Aspects

This concluding chapter discusses the essence and scope of political radicalization of the Arab minority in Israel. Arab politics is divided between ... More

This concluding chapter discusses the essence and scope of political radicalization of the Arab minority in Israel. Arab politics is divided between extremists and moderates. In general, the moderates consider full equality as a worthwhile and achievable objective while the extremists continuously debate their attitudes towards the state and its majority. The extremists are more organized and more popular in their constituency than the moderates. This chapter also outlines a possible course of the radicalization and suggests ways of coping with it.Less

Introduction: Entering Muslim Digital Worlds

Gary R. Bunt

in Hashtag Islam: How Cyber-Islamic Environments Are Transforming Religious Authority

An overview of the themes in Hashtag Islam, discussing some of the inspiration in its writing and responses to changes in discourse about cyber-Islamic environments.

Peripheral Parties’ Electoral Strategies after Devolution

Sonia Alonso

in Challenging the State: Devolution and the Battle for Partisan Credibility: A Comparison of Belgium, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom

This chapter analyses the strategic reaction of peripheral parties in response to the state parties’ pro-periphery moves. The chapter discusses under what conditions the peripheral parties’ ... More

This chapter analyses the strategic reaction of peripheral parties in response to the state parties’ pro-periphery moves. The chapter discusses under what conditions the peripheral parties’ strategies were effective, stopping or even reversing their losses to state parties. The chapter uses survey data to explore the effect that political parties’ strategies had on their electoral weight among the different constituencies along the centre–periphery dimension. The results show that being simultaneously present among the centrist and the extreme pro-periphery voters was nearly an impossible task. Peripheral parties had to choose whether to concentrate their efforts among one or the other constituency and in the presence of state parties’ pro-periphery strategies a majority opted for growing among pro-periphery voters. Finally, in the years of devolution reforms or (partial) implementation of peripheral parties’ demands all state parties benefited by increasing their credibility among the pro-periphery voters, even the state parties with a most centralist trajectory.Less

Epilogue: Rumi’s Corner

Tahir Abbas

in Islamophobia and Radicalisation: A Vicious Cycle

The final chapter returns to the core themes of this book-Islamophobia and radicalization-to suggest some possible ways forward in breaking down the formidable cycle of hate, intolerance and cruelty. ... More

The final chapter returns to the core themes of this book-Islamophobia and radicalization-to suggest some possible ways forward in breaking down the formidable cycle of hate, intolerance and cruelty. This concluding chapter summarizes the primary messages of this book, which have concentrated on establishing the sociological, political and ideological associations between two important concepts in the current period–Islamophobia and radicalization. The main contribution of this book has been to outline how they are interrelated but also mutually reinforcing due the interaction of global, national and local forces. In this process, the nature of Muslimness is being molded by the state, which seeks to create a moderate Muslim amenable to the idea of an identity based on ‘values’. In an uncertain future, the only inevitability is change itself.Less

Processes of Radicalization: Dissimilarities in Similarities

Eitan Y. Alimi, Chares Demetriou, and Lorenzo Bosi

in The Dynamics of Radicalization: A Relational and Comparative Perspective

The chapter engages in a systematic comparison of the three episodes of radicalization featured centrally in the book, that of the Red Brigades, EOKA, and al-Qaeda. While earlier chapters analyzed ... More

The chapter engages in a systematic comparison of the three episodes of radicalization featured centrally in the book, that of the Red Brigades, EOKA, and al-Qaeda. While earlier chapters analyzed these episodes and showed that commonalities run through them by way of the same set of relational mechanisms, this chapter treats these mechanisms as entry points for the analysis of dissimilarity. Four aspects of dissimilarity are analyzed: (1) particularities of radicalization—differences in the underlying sub-mechanisms that variously constitute the relational mechanisms, (2) modalities of radicalization—differences in the relative weight of each relational mechanism in a given episode, (3) varieties of radicalization—differences in the particular sequence of how mechanisms combine in driving radicalization forward, and (4) degrees of radicalization—differences in the severity and lethality of political violence employed. The generalizability of these dissimilarities is assessed by drawing parallels with other episodes of radicalization, including the Weather Underground, the Insurrectional Anarchists, and the Provisional IRA.Less

Conclusion: The Relational Dynamics of Radicalization

Eitan Y. Alimi, Chares Demetriou, and Lorenzo Bosi

in The Dynamics of Radicalization: A Relational and Comparative Perspective

The chapter brings together the four main agendas of the book: conceptualizing radicalization as a process involving a shift from predominantly nonviolent forms of contention on the part of a ... More

The chapter brings together the four main agendas of the book: conceptualizing radicalization as a process involving a shift from predominantly nonviolent forms of contention on the part of a movement organization to predominantly violent ones; theorizing radicalization as a process driven most centrally by relational dynamics; researching radicalization through a mechanism-based strategy of process tracing; and, comparing radicalization in a way that maintain a balance between similarities and dissimilarities across episodes of contention. In discussing each agenda, the chapter elaborates on scholarly influences on our work, how the book expands on these influences, and the analytical and theoretical contributions offered in the book.Less