Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Why Greeks rebel: Re-examining conventional and radical political action

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Acta Politica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a rise of contentious political activity across the world heralding what some perceive as a new major cycle of protest. Much attention has focused on Europe, where the economic crisis generated considerable social unrest deemed comparable to earlier waves of protest. This article seeks to examine the basic constituents of the social forces unleashed by this economic crisis and to assess the main motivations driving this new cycle of protest. It distinguishes between conventional and radical political activity and seeks to identify the main correlates of each. The article uses an original telephone survey designed, piloted, and conducted in Greece (n = 5025) to construct a 12-item conventionalism scale and a 10-item radicalism scale. Using psychometric techniques, it assesses the effects of various independent variables on the two modes of political action. The article finds that, even in this economic crisis-hit setting, economic deprivation has a minimal effect on the two modes of behavior. Ideology, especially on the left of the political spectrum, has the strongest effect on both radical and conventional political action. Despite the major changes in the political context brought about by the economic crisis, political action displays significant continuity with the past.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, R. and Khoo, S. K. (1996) ACER Quest [Computer software]. Melbourne, Australia: ACER.

  • Adcock, R. and Collier, D. (2001) Measurement validity: A shared standard for qualitative and quantitative research. American Political Science Review 95(3): 529–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andronikidou, A. and Kovras, I. (2012) Cultures of rioting and anti-systemic politics in Southern Europe. West European Politics 35(4): 707–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, S. H. and Kaase, M., (eds.) (1979) Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, T. G. and Fox, C. (2001) Applying the Rasch Model. 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briggs, D. C. and Wilson, M. (2003) An introduction to multidimensional measurement using Rasch models. Journal of Applied Measurement 4(1): 87–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brush, S. G. (1996) Dynamics of theory change in the social sciences. Journal of Conflict Resolution 40(4): 523–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caiani, M., Della Porta, D. and Wagemann, C. (2012) Mobilizing on the Extreme Right: Germany, Italy, and the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Castañeda, E. (2012) The indignados of Spain: A precedent to occupy Wall Street. Social Movements Studies 11(3–4): 309–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chalmers, P. R. (2012) Mirt: A multidimensional item response theory package for the R Environment. Journal of Statistical Software 48(6): 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, R. J. (2006) Citizen politics: Public opinion and political parties in advanced industrial democracies. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: CQ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, R., Sickle, A. V. and Weldon, S. (2009) The individual – institutional nexus of protest behaviour. British Journal of Political Science 40(1): 51–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Boeck, P. and Wilson, M. (2004) Explanatory Item Response Models: A Generalized Linear and Nonlinear Approach. New York, NY: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Della Porta, D. (1995) Social Movements, Political Violence, and the State: A Comparative Analysis of Italy and Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dinas, E., Georgiadou, V., Konstantinidis, I. and Rori, L. (2013) From Dusk to Dawn: Local party organization and party success of right-wing extremism. Party Politics. doi:10.1177/1354068813511381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Divgi, D. R. (1979) Calculation of the tetrachoric correlation coefficient. Psychometrika 44(2): 169–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dotti Sani, G. M. and Quaranta, M. (2015) Chips off the old blocks? The political participation patterns of parents and children in Italy. Social Science Research 50: 264–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Economides, S. and Monastiriotis, V. (2009) The Return of Street Politics? Essays on the December Riots in Greece. London: Hellenic Observatory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellinas, A. A. (2013) The rise of the Golden Dawn: The new face of the far right in Greece. South European Society and Politics 18(4): 543–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellinas, A. A. (2015) Neo-Nazism in an established democracy: The persistence of the Golden Dawn in Greece. South European Society and Politics 20(1): 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellinas. A. A. and Lamprianou, I. (2016) How far right local party organizations develop: The organizational buildup of the Greek Golden Dawn. Party Politics. doi:10.1177/1354068816641337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farah, B. G., Barnes, S. H. and Heunis, F. (1979) Political dissatisfaction. In: S. H. Barnes and M. Kaase (eds.) Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies. London: Sage, pp. 409–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel, O. (1996) Distrust, involvement and political protest in western democracies. In: L. Halman and N. Nevitte (eds.) Political Value Change in Western Democracies. Tilburg: University Press, pp. 193–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadermann, M. A., Guhn, M. and Zumbo B. D. (2012) Estimating ordinal reliability for Likert-type and ordinal item response data: A conceptual, empirical, and practical guide. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation 17(3): 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillion, D. Q. (2009) Redefining Political Participation through Item Response Theory. Paper presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Toronto, ON, Canada, September 3–6.

  • Gurr, T. R. (1970) Why Men Rebel. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (1979) Value priorities and socioeconomic change. In: S. H.Barnes and M. Kaase (eds.) Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies. London: Sage, pp. 305–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, W. G (1999) Levels of measurement and political research: An optimistic view. American Journal of Political Science 43(1): 271–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahne, J. E. and Sporte, S. E. (2008) Developing citizens: The impact of civic learning opportunities on students’ commitment to civic participation. American Educational Research Journal 45(3): 738–766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassimeris, G. (2005) Junta by another name? The 1974 Metapolitefsi and the Greek extra-parliamentary left. Journal of Contemporary History 40(4): 745–762.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerbo, H. R. (1982) Movements of “Crisis” and movements of “Affluence”: A critique of deprivation and resource mobilization theories. Journal of Conflict Resolution 26(4): 645–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kern, A., Marien, S. and Hooghe, M. (2015) Economic crisis and levels of political participation in Europe (2002-2010): The role of resources and grievances. West European Politics. doi:10.1080/01402382.2014.993152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiefer, T., Robitzsch, A. and Wu, M. (2014) TAM: Test Analysis Modules. Resource Document. The CRAN Project, http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=TAM, accessed 12 June 2014.

  • Klandermans, B. and Mayer, N. (2006) Extreme Right Activists in Europe: Τhrough the Magnifying Glass. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klandermans, B. and Oegema, D. (1987) Potentials, networks, motivations and barriers: Steps towards participation in social movements. American Sociological Review 52(4): 519–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klingemann, H. D. (1979) Ideological conceptualization and political action. In: S. H. Barnes and M. Kaase (eds.) Political Action: Mass Participation in Five Western Democracies. London: Sage, pp. 279–303.

  • Mair, P., & Hatzinger, R. (2007) CML based estimation of extended Rasch models with the eRm package in R. Psychology Science 49(1): 26–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marien, S., Hooghe, M. and Quintelier E. (2010) Inequalities in non institutionalised forms of political participation: A multi-level analysis of 25 countries. Political Studies 58(1): 187–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, D. (1986) Recruitment to high-risk activism: The case of freedom summer. American Journal of Sociology 92(1): 64–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, D., Tarrow, S. and Tilly, C. (2001) Dynamics of contention. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Milbrath, L. W. (1981) Political Participation: How and Why Do People Get Involved in Politics? Chicago: Rand McNally & Company.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mudde, C. (2007) Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Muller, E. N. (1977) Behavioral correlates of political support. American Political Science Review 71(2): 454–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muller, E. N. (1979) Aggressive Political Participation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, E. N., Jukam, T. and Seligson, M. (1982) Diffuse political support and antisystem political behavior: A comparative analysis. American Journal of Political Science 26(2): 240–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris, P. (2002) Democratic Phoenix: Reinventing Political Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Norris, P., Walgrave, S. and Aelst, V. A. (2005) ‘Who demonstrates? Antistate rebels, conventional participants, or everyone?’ Comparative Politics 37(2): 189–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Revelle, W. (2014) Psych: Procedures for Personality and Psychological Research. Resource document. The CRAN project, http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=psychVersion=1.4.4, accessed 12 June 2014.

  • Rosseel, Y. (2012) Lavaan: An R package for structural equation modeling. Journal of Statistical Software 4(2): 1–36, http://www.jstatsoft.org/v48/i02/.

  • Rüdig, W. and Karyotis, G. (2014) Who protests in Greece? Mass opposition to austerity. British Journal of Political Science 44(3): 487–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schrodt, P. A. (2007) Inductive Event Data Scaling Using Item Response Theory. Paper presented at the 2007 Summer Meeting of the Society for Political Methodology, Pennsylvanian State University, July 18–20.

  • Schussman, A. and Soule S. S. (2005) Process and protest: Accounting for individual protest participation. Social Forces 84(2): 1083–1108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sijtsma, S. (2009) On the use, the misuse and the very limited usefulness of Cronbach’s alpha. Psychometrika 74(1): 107–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. M., Schumacker, R. E. and Bush, J. M. (1998) Using item mean squares to evaluate fit to the Rasch model. Journal of Outcome Measurement 2(1): 66–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolle, D. and Hooghe, M. (2011) Shifting Inequalities. European Societies 13(1): 119–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarrow, S. (2011) Power in Movement. 3rd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Teorell, J., Torcal, M. and Montero, J. R. (2007) Political participation: Mapping the terrain. In: J. Van Deth, J. R. Montero and W. Anders (eds.) Citizenship and Involvement in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis. New York: Routledge, pp. 334–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilly, C., Tilly L. and Tilly R. (1975) The Rebellious Century, 1830–1930. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Van Schuur, W. H. (2003) Mokken scale analysis: Between the Guttman scale and the parametric item response theory. Political Analysis 11: 139–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Both authors contributed equally to this article and name ordering reflects the principle of rotation. They would like to thank Mary Beth Altier, David Art, Lenka Bustikova, Georgios Karyotis, Iannis Konstantinidis, Irene Martín Cortés, José Ramón Montero, Wolfgang Rüdig, Nikos Trimikliniotis and the anonymous reviewers and editors of Acta Politica for comments on earlier drafts. They would also like to thank Public Issue for the data collection; the Research Institute of the University of Macedonia for help with piloting the survey; the Faculty of Economics and Management of the University of Cyprus for access to CNTS Data Archive; and Charis Kaite for research assistance. Previous versions of the paper were presented at the American and Cyprus associations of political science (APSA and CAPS) as well as the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Cyprus and the University of Macedonia. The research undertaken for the purposes of this article was generously provided by a start-up grant of the University of Cyprus.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Iasonas Lamprianou & Antonis A. Ellinas

Authors
  1. Iasonas Lamprianou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Antonis A. Ellinas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonis A. Ellinas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lamprianou, I., Ellinas, A.A. Why Greeks rebel: Re-examining conventional and radical political action. Acta Polit 52, 85–109 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-016-0003-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-016-0003-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation