Resistance and Rebellion - Lessons from Eastern Europe

Resistance and Rebellion: Lessons from Eastern Europe explains how ordinary people become involved in resistance and rebellion against powerful regimes. The book shows how a sequence of casual forces - social norms, focal points, rational calculation - operate to drive individuals into roles of passive resistance and, at a second stage, into participation in community-based rebellion organization. By linking the operation of these mechanisms to observable social structures, the work generates predictions about which types of community and society are most likely to form and sustain resistance and rebellion. The empirical material centres around Lithuanian anti-Soviet resistance in both the 1940s and the 1987-91 period. Using the Lithuanian experience as a baseline, comparisons with several other Eastern European countries demonstrate the breadth and depth of the theory. The book contributes to both the general literature on political violence and protest, as well as the theoretical literature on collective action.

List of contents

List of figures and tables; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Mechanisms and process; 3. Lithuania, 1940-1; 4. Rebellion in an urban community: the role of leadership and centralization; 5. The German occupation of Lithuania; 6. Post-war Lithuania; 7. More cases, more comparisons; 8. Resistance in the Perestroika period; 9. Fanatics and first actors; 10. Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

Summary

How do ordinary people become involved in resistance and rebellion against powerful regimes? This book provides a detailed theoretical treatment of the process that pushes and pulls individuals into risk-laden roles. The work compares several East European nations to show the breadth and depth of the approach.

Product details

• Authors: Roger D. Petersen
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 07.05.2001
• EAN: 9780521770002
• ISBN: 978-0-521-77000-2
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 216 mm x 22 mm
• Weight: 580 g
• Illustrations: 29 b/w illus. 3 tables, Zeichnungen, nicht spezifiziert, Tabellen, nicht spezifiziert
• Series: Studies in Rationality and Soc; Studies in Rationality and Social Change; Studies in Rationality and Social Change
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); European History, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / Europe / Baltic States, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Lithuania, Regional Studies, Political Economy, Regional / International studies