How and Why Did Paramilitarism End?

In the second half of the 1940s, European states gradually reimposed their monopoly over organised violence. Paramilitary bands were either eliminated or brought under government control. Shatter Zones and Paramilitarised Regimes of Violence (Types D and C) made the transition back to Authoritarian or Civilian (Types B or A). While in some cases this transition aligned with the liberation from occupation, in others it was more protracted. This chapter begins with a brief overview of the various kinds of social violence that were evident during the later 1940s. We then discuss some of the factors that led to the deparamilitarisation of Europe and the disappearance of the bands. To conclude, we discuss the post-war careers of the ten members of our sample who survived World War II.