POLSCI 329S Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Red Brigades, Radicalization, Stasi
17 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Politics of Violence
9.29.16 Lecture Notes
Radicalization
Organizational approach to the study of radicalization-political violence
2 opposite forces
o Institutionalization (the legal Left)
o Terrorism (the radical fringes)
Groups that were using radical repertoires and a highly ideological stance went underground
o Italy: Red Brigades
o Germany: Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF)
RAF general structure
o Decentralized, leaders were in prison
o Support from East Germany, Stasi
o Three generations
▪ First generation – most imprisoned
▪ Second generation – tried to free the ones in jail, but were put into jail
▪ Third generation – bombed stuff
o Still active
Radicalization and Organizational Resources
When the student movement declines, radical groups survive
They become sectarian and imply higher levels of commitment
They are more radical and use radical resources
Radicalization is a process of double marginalization: from society and from the movement itself
o Violence is an instrument/resource for survival, cohesion
Effective leaders
o Most would consider a hierarchical structure to be most effective
o But a problem with the hierarchical structure is that they are vulnerable to attacks on
leaders
o So organizations became decentralized nuclei
Radicalization was sustained by the creation of entrepreneurs of violence
o Not political entrepreneurs nor specialists of violence (Tilly)
▪ Something in between
o They had developed technical skills and ideological justifications for the use of militarized
forms of violence
o Subsequently, the terrorist organizations provided military skills that contributed to the
radicalization of other SMOs
o RAF organization went to Palestine and got military skills and bombs
Transnational resources
o Resources were coming from outside border: the revolutions and liberation movements in
the developing countries provided symbolic resources for violence
o In the 70s, the technical skills for the armed struggle were imported from international
terrorist groups (in particular, Palestinian organizations)
Logic of underground organizations
Target selection
o In Italy, more propaganda-oriented (external)
o In Germany, more self-defense-oriented (internally oriented actions)
o The trend is similar: from low-level violent actions towards more violent forms
o Bottom line: target selection in terrorist organizations is strategic
Did ideology matter?
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Document Summary
Organizational approach to the study of radicalization-political violence. 2 opposite forces: institutionalization (the legal left, terrorism (the radical fringes) Groups that were using radical repertoires and a highly ideological stance went underground: italy: red brigades, germany: rote armee fraktion (raf) When the student movement declines, radical groups survive. They become sectarian and imply higher levels of commitment. They are more radical and use radical resources. Radicalization is a process of double marginalization: from society and from the movement itself: violence is an instrument/resource for survival, cohesion. Effective leaders: most would consider a hierarchical structure to be most effective, but a problem with the hierarchical structure is that they are vulnerable to attacks on leaders, so organizations became decentralized nuclei. Target selection: in italy, more propaganda-oriented (external, in germany, more self-defense-oriented (internally oriented actions, the trend is similar: from low-level violent actions towards more violent forms, bottom line: target selection in terrorist organizations is strategic.
