Resistance and Rebellion: Lessons from Eastern Europe explains how ordinary people become involved in resistance and rebellion against powerful regimes. The book provides a detailed theoretical treatment of the process that pushes and pulls individuals into risk-laden roles. It also reconstructs Lithuanian social networks of the 1940s, through extensive interviews, to illustrate and test the argument. The work conducts comparisons with several other Eastern European nations to show the breadth and depth of the approach. The book contributes to both the general literature on political violence, as well as the theoretical literature on collective action.
Author(s): Roger D. Petersen
Edition: 1
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 338
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Figures and Tables......Page 13
Preface......Page 15
1. Introduction......Page 19
What Is to Be Explained?......Page 26
Mechanisms......Page 28
Restating the Central Question......Page 31
Community......Page 33
Basic Definition and General Features of Community......Page 34
Mechanisms of Strong Community......Page 37
The Community as the Key Level of Analysis......Page 43
Outline......Page 45
Comparative Analyses......Page 46
From Neutrality to Widespread, Unarmed, and Unorganized Resistance......Page 50
Resentment Formation......Page 51
Transforming Resentment into Action: The Relevance of Symbols and the Focal-Point Mechanism......Page 54
The Strategic Context of Movement from 0 to +1......Page 58
Concluding Comments......Page 62
The Development of Community-Based Organization......Page 63
Knowing the Distribution of Thresholds......Page 65
The General Effects of Strong Community......Page 69
Specific Effects of Community Structure: The Role of Norms......Page 70
Solidarity I: Density......Page 79
The Position of “First Actors” and Political Entrepreneurs......Page 84
Centralization......Page 86
Size Factors......Page 89
Solidarity II: Homogeneity/Heterogeneity......Page 90
Sustaining Mechanisms: Remaining at the +2 Position......Page 93
Irrational Mechanisms......Page 94
Concluding Remark......Page 97
3. Lithuania, 1940–1941......Page 98
From 0 to +1 in Lithuania under the First Soviet Occupation......Page 100
Historical Background......Page 101
Lithuania in the Late 1930s......Page 103
The First Soviet Occupation, 1940–1941......Page 106
Changes in Status Hierarchy and the Formation of Resistance......Page 110
The First Forms of Resistance......Page 112
Focal Points and Status......Page 114
Threshold Behavior and the Interaction of Mechanisms......Page 117
From +1 to +2 during the First Soviet Occupation......Page 119
Political Groups in Lithuania......Page 120
Economic Groups......Page 122
Social Groups......Page 124
Dynamics of Rebellion in a Lithuanian Village......Page 127
Summary of Svainikai Village: Linking Theory and Substance......Page 138
Negative Cases: Communities That Failed to Organize......Page 141
A Brief Comparison with Latvia and Estonia......Page 147
A Brief Comparison with Lithuanian Jews......Page 148
Summing Up......Page 151
4. Rebellion in an Urban Community: The Role of Leadership and Centralization......Page 152
Crucial Characteristics of Leadership......Page 153
The Ateitininkai, the Grandis Fraternity, and the Broader Catholic Networks......Page 155
The Backgrounds of Two Leaders......Page 158
Events Shortly after Soviet Annexation......Page 159
The Berlin Connection......Page 160
Cat and Mouse......Page 161
Revolt......Page 166
Linking Substance and Theory......Page 167
Conclusions......Page 169
Collaboration and Resistance during the German Occupation......Page 171
Collaboration......Page 173
Resistance......Page 174
Resentment Formation......Page 175
Focal-Point Mechanisms......Page 178
Elite Strategy......Page 180
Collaboration and the Question of SS Recruitment......Page 181
Threshold Mechanisms......Page 183
Concluding Points......Page 185
6. Postwar Lithuania......Page 188
Five Cases from the Merkine Region (M1–M5)......Page 191
M1 and the Village of Kasciunai (+2)......Page 194
Linking Theory and Substance......Page 199
Sustaining Mechanisms......Page 201
The 1940–1941 and the Postwar Occupations......Page 202
M2 and the Istrebiteli in Merkine (-2)......Page 203
M3 and Mobile Partisans (+3)......Page 206
M4 and Neutrals (0)......Page 207
M5 and the Village of Samuniskiu......Page 208
Five Cases from Samogitia (S1–S5): The +1 Position......Page 211
Neutrals......Page 212
A Balancing Act: +1 Cases......Page 213
Summary of Other Postwar Data......Page 216
Sustaining Mechanisms......Page 218
Concluding Comments and Comparisons......Page 220
Postwar Latvia and Estonia......Page 223
Variation in Postwar Ukraine: Differences between Galicia and Volhynia......Page 227
The Backgrounds of Galicia and Volhynia......Page 228
Resentment and Focal Points......Page 231
The Second Soviet Occupation......Page 233
The Strategies of Competing Occupiers: Ukraine and Belorussia......Page 236
Regions Contested by Both Germans and Soviet Partisans......Page 238
Weak Community......Page 241
Ethnic Hierarchy and the Lack of Resentment......Page 242
Soviet and German Pacification Strategies......Page 244
Germans and Soviets in World War II Ukraine and Belorussia......Page 246
Rebellion in Segmentary Societies: Montenegro during Wartime......Page 249
Conclusions......Page 253
8. Resistance in the Perestroika Period......Page 254
The Effects of Modernization and Communist Rule......Page 255
Mechanisms......Page 257
Thresholds......Page 260
Protest as a Combination of Multiple-Assurance Games: A Model......Page 262
Czechoslovakia, Fall 1989......Page 267
“De-Assurrance” among Regime Groups......Page 271
Explaining Variation: Some Theory and Another Example......Page 272
Lithuania: August 1987–August 1988......Page 275
The German Democratic Republic......Page 280
Conclusions......Page 287
9. Fanatics and First Actors......Page 290
Vilnius, January 1991......Page 292
Rational Calculation......Page 296
Personality-Based Mechanisms......Page 298
Participation-Based Mechanisms......Page 301
Participation in a Paradigmatic Event: “The Small Risk of Martyrdom” or “Pseudomartyrdom”......Page 302
Returning to Lithuania......Page 304
Operation of a “Pseudomartyrdom” Mechanism......Page 308
Relationship to Various Social Science Approaches......Page 310
A Theory of Fanatical Action?......Page 312
10. Conclusions......Page 314
Resentment Formation......Page 315
Status Reward Mechanisms......Page 317
Threshold Mechanisms......Page 318
Resistance and Rebellion in One Small Nation......Page 320
Bibliography......Page 323
Index......Page 335
