5- Political instability, conflict and change

Developmental approaches to political change and to democratization

Contentious politics and collective action

Revolutions

Civil wars

Terrorism

the emergence and expansion of the Nation-State : Three approaches

Economic theories

Cultural theories

Political / conflict theories

changing beliefs and values

conflict --> one actor dominates and control the others --> appearance of the state

Use of war : to centralize, to extract revenues, to mobilise the pop

Marx : state as a means for bourgeoisie to dominate the proletariat

nationalism --> dvt of state

What is development

Rise of living standards (inequalities, poverty...)

Economic growth, GDP per capita

Why dvt happens

Norms : laws and principles

Cultural values : trust, civil society, social capital, religion, value system

Institutions : role of the state and the market

Position in the international system: dependency theories

Developmental theories of democratization

dvt --> appearance of a middle class, rising literacy, urbanisation, stability --> consolidation of democracy

Definitions

Contention : various forms of conflict, peaceful or violent

Collective action: joint efforts to bring about a preferred outcome --> uses contentious actions : social mot action, revolutions, insurgencies, civil wars, terrorism...

Social movement

Expression of civil society, autonomous from the state

interactions between a plurality of
individuals --> political or cultural conflict --> collective identity

Use of violence

struggle police / among competing factors / break-away of peaceful gathering

repression

limited

sudden and dramatic social/political change

popular mobilization

types

Social revolutions: transform social and political structures

Limited political revolutions: transform political institutions only

Insurgencies: enduring, organized, armed actors contesting the power of the state

factors

No expression possible

Weak state

Oppression, failure to meet expectations

Threat w/ political ends

European convention of 2000

what : kill or seriously injure

on who : civil or people not fighting

for what : intimidate , force, prevent

who : a population, a government, an organization

text : Barrington & Moore

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