NCJ Number
97906
Date Published
1984
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Political crime is defined as any act recognized or anticipated by authorities as threatening to the established politico-socioeconomic structure.
Abstract
The basic modes of resistance are designated as dissent, evasion, disobedience, and violence. It is suggested that higher class socialization is more likely than lower class socialization to produce individuals with political sensitivity, articulate and focused resentment, and a strong sense of personal efficacy. It has also been found that class differences in violent resistance are associated with several factors; spontaneous collective riots and uprisings have been far more often the work of lower class than of higher class resisters. The violence of lower class resisters also reflects personally experienced deprivations. In contrast, higher class violence tends to be calculated and organized into revolutionary cells; campaigns of terror, and assassinations, and logistically complex and expensive assaults; and the dissemination of formal critiques, manifestos, and theories. It is proposed that future research focus on (1) the sources of resistance to and acceptance of authority, (2) the process of radicalization, (3) the effects of alternative strategies of resistance and of political policy, and (4) the relative viability of political authority structure under varying conditions. Forty-eight references are listed.