Features of a cycle
Tarrow (1989, 1993) described protest cycles by several features: conflict spreads rapidly across social sectors, organized and unorganized groups mobilize together, new forms of action are tried, and new frames and identities emerge. He called such periods 'moments of madness' and argued that some forms invented then settle into the repertoire of contention.
Diffusion and political opportunities
Cycles usually begin as political opportunities open. 'Early riser' movements reveal the state's vulnerability, and other groups follow as they perceive lower costs. Minkoff (1997) showed that the US civil rights movement fostered the emergence of later movements such as the women's movement, and Koopmans (1993) found that West German protest waves split after their peak, with some actors institutionalizing and others radicalizing.
Decline and radicalization
Cycles end in various ways, as repression and co-optation, public exhaustion and internal divisions combine and some demands are absorbed into institutional politics. Della Porta (1995) found that in Italy and Germany, as mobilization waned, remaining minorities turned to violence. Kriesi and colleagues (1995) showed that cycle size and shape differed across Western European countries according to political institutions. The debate fed into research on contentious politics.
FAQ
- What are protest cycles in simple terms?
- Periods when protests and movements break out in many places at once, spread widely and then gradually subside.
- What happens when a cycle ends?
- Some demands are absorbed into policy or parties, mass participation falls, and remaining minorities sometimes radicalize.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Tarrow, S. (1989). Democracy and disorder: Protest and politics in Italy, 1965–1975. Oxford University Press. The founding Italian study.
- Tarrow, S. (1993). Cycles of collective action: Between moments of madness and the repertoire of contention. Social Science History, 17(2), 281–307. Cycles and repertoires.
- Koopmans, R. (1993). The dynamics of protest waves: West Germany, 1965 to 1989. American Sociological Review, 58(5), 637–658. Protest waves in West Germany.
- Minkoff, D. C. (1997). The sequencing of social movements. American Sociological Review, 62(5), 779–799. Movement spillover.
- Meyer, D. S. (2004). Protest and political opportunities. Annual Review of Sociology, 30, 125–145. Opportunities and protest.
- Kriesi, H., Koopmans, R., Duyvendak, J. W., & Giugni, M. G. (1995). New social movements in Western Europe: A comparative analysis. University of Minnesota Press. Cross-national comparison.
- della Porta, D. (1995). Social movements, political violence, and the state: A comparative analysis of Italy and Germany. Cambridge University Press. Radicalization in decline.