Environmental Threats and Political Opportunities: Citizen Activism in the North Bohemian Coal Basin

Extant research has established important linkages between threats and social movement mobilization in a variety of political and economic settings. Yet, comparatively little attention has been paid to the relationship between environmental threats and activism. Drawing from literatures in environmental sociology and social movements, we examine the coal industry and its resultant environmental devastation in Czechoslovakia to investigate the intersection of political and environmental threats in provoking activism in highly repressive settings. Using a range of data sources, we illustrate how the externalities of extreme production coupled with developing weaknesses in the state ultimately incited public protest against the regime. Our analysis of protest in North Bohemia provides insight into broader patterns of elite legitimacy and resistance. Our findings show that the environmental externalities stemming from state-mandated production in the North Bohemian region posed an imminent threat that spurred residents to protest despite harsh state repression. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research on environmental and political threats, elite legitimation, and citizen activism.