ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the basic aspects of radical left activism by comparing them with the protest patterns of the moderate left. It then shows how political cleavage structures shape radical left protest patterns by comparing the long-term protest activities of the radical and moderate left in the Czech Republic and Slovakia between 1989 and 2010. The chapter builds upon a distinction between two modes of left activism and looks at the basic attributes of radical left activism that are often seen as its defining characteristics: its socio-cultural agenda and disruptive repertoire. It attempts to clarify how and to what extent radical left politics may be distinguished from "traditional" moderate left politics. The chapter then explores the relationship between the salience of socio-economic cleavage and radical left protest issues, cooperation patterns, and responses to the ideological orientation of the national cabinets.