Indignation, ideologies, and armed mobilization: Civil war in Italy, 1943-45

This paper theorizes and provides empirical evidence on the role of indignation and radical ideologies in the process of armed mobilization. We argue that these non-material factors play a crucial role – in addition to that played by material factors – in the chain that leads to armed collective action. Indignation is a push-factor that moves individuals away from accepting the status of the incumbent power. Ideology acts as a pull-factor that provides a new set of strategies against the incumbent. Our empirical analysis focuses on the Italian civil war (1943–45). First, we provide a national statistical analysis where the Italian provinces are the analytical units. Secondly, we offer a within-province analysis focusing on just two of them, using municipalities as the units of analysis. Finally, we provide a qualitative analysis based on historical micro-narratives and interviews with ex-partisans. The empirical data support our theoretical arguments.