From Bombs to Ballots: When Militant Organizations Transition to Political Parties

When do militant organizations transition to political parties? Once reaching the productive limits of political violence, militant organizations sometimes seek to adopt party politics in order to continue pursuing their political ends or “outcome” goals. However, most militant organizations remain incapable of transitioning due to two common constraints: the base constituency’s preference for violence and credibility deficiencies vis-à-vis the adversary. Analyzing an original dataset of 406 organizations, I find evidence that partial outcome-goal achievement and state supporters help militant organizations overcome the obstacles preventing transition. Crucially, whereas the complete achievement of militant outcome goals absorbs the chief organizational incentive to transition, partial achievement of outcome goals fosters transition to the party format more than any other factor