Di Alto
2003 APSA paper
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which are resolved to the moderates’ advantage” (p. 32). Either way, the radical branch of the
movement has helped to further some of the core goals of the movement by amplifying the
bargaining power of the moderates.
Another positive effect that intramovement conflict can have is in broadening the
appeal of a movement to unmobilized outsiders. For instance, factions can make social movements
attractive to a wider range of people by representing a diversity of thought and therefore the presence
of more than one branch of a movement “facilitates recruitment from a wide variety of socio-
economic, educational, cultural, and national backgrounds” (Gerlach & Hine 1970: p. 166). By
widening its base of support and public appeal the attraction of new blood to a movement can
revitalize and invigorate a movement or alternatively make it harder for the goals of a movement to
be ignored. Additionally, intramovement conflict may help in coalition building with outside
groups. “Under certain circumstances, moderate groups might well be able to maintain good
relations with supporting groups by distancing themselves from the disruptive activities of radicals
while at the same time profiting from the crises they create” (Haines 1984: footnote 1, p. 32).
Coalition building with outside groups by moderates might well be more difficult without the
presence of the radical foil that divisions within a movement makes possible.
Intramovement conflict also compels each branch of the movement to more clearly
examine their relative positions and to package their goals, tactics, and rhetoric more effectively to
reach unmobilized outsiders. Divisions within movements “force activists and groups to clarify their
framings and to engage in critical reflection” (Benford 1993: p. 696). This impetus might not occur
if a movement was unified and a movement might therefore not present its strongest front to its
opposition. The presence of a radical branch within a movement also forces moderates to think
outside the box. Moderates can become entrenched in a certain way of thinking that might limit the
gains of a movement. Radicals challenge this passivity by raising compelling questions and often
identify unresolved and/or new issues that insiders and outsiders must consider in formulating
opinions and positions on pressing social issues. (Elinson 1966; Killian 1972)
Another important function that radical branches of movements serve is to highlight
the extent to which a movement’s goals are attained. Killian (1972) argued that “the critical and
pessimistic attitudes of extremist leaders serve as a constant corrective to what may be illusions of
progress which might otherwise cause a relaxation of the struggle” (p. 46). By refusing to be
pacified by only incremental change the presence of radicals can help to extend the life of a
movement and revitalize it in the face of passivity.
Convention