Parents of the revolution rebel leaders’ intergenerational social capital and insurgency cohesion

Lukas Hegele and Joakim Kreutz

International Interactions, 2026, vol. 52, issue 4, 573-598

Abstract: Elite-level social capital facilitates both the mobilization and retention of participants in social movements and insurgencies. Well-connected rebel leaders perceived as credible have advantages in building a functioning organization and ensuring loyalty among followers. We argue that leaders from reputable and elite families have several advantages when it comes to organizing an insurgency. They can build on the social capital amassed by previous generations and therefore have greater visibility, credibility, and access to key networks that facilitate more viable rebel organizations. Consequently, we expect these organizations to establish a dominant position as the opposition to the regime and deter rival attempts of rebel group formation. Following an analysis of all civil conflicts 1946–2018, we find robust support for our argument that inter-generational social capital creates more cohesive insurgencies. We also identify a substitution effect as social capital serves similar purposes as previous political involvement but that the most cohesive insurgencies are formed by leaders that have either of these two features in combination with military skills.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/03050629.2026.2668103

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