How Does Postcommunist Transformation Affect Political Protest? The Example of East Germany

In: Mobilization: the international quarterly review of social movement research, Band 9, Heft 2, S. 127-147

Abstract

How do protest & its causes change after the democratic transformation of communist regimes? It is argued that certain features of the transformation process have an impact on the conditions that directly influence individual protest participation. These conditions are political discontent, perceived personal political influence, perceived obligation to participate, & integration in protest-promoting networks. Drawing on the case of East Germany, propositions are suggested about how these four conditions change as a result of the transformation process, & about their differential impact on protest over time. The propositions are tested with a four-wave panel survey of 226 respondents from Leipzig (East Germany) who were interviewed in 1990 (referring to the situation under communist rule), 1993, 1996, & 1998. It was found, among other things, that protest decreased continuously between 1989 & 1998; & that each of the four factors' contribution to protest differed over time. 6 Tables, 4 Figures, 52 References. Adapted from the source document.