Studying More than the Last Mile of Repression: The Layered Model of Political Repression

This chapter reviews the motivations and elements of the layered model of repression, which examines seven layers of political control, including the whole population, sub-populations, political institutions, civil society, social movements, nonviolent resistance, and violent dissent. The importance of studying quiescence, not just the repression of existing dissent, is examined. This implies that each layer may be a repressive force on its own and may also influence repression that occurs in other layers, including Layers 5–7. The way in which the layered model is more than the sum of its parts is also illustrated through an examination of the second Trump administration’s first 100 days using the layered model as an organizing heuristic. The utility of the layered model for understanding democracies, not just more authoritarian nations, is stressed as is the importance of backfire as a way to make repression dangerous for repressors. Chapters are also briefly introduced.