THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AND OTHER FACTORS IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL DEATH OF DOMESTIC FAR-RIGHT EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONSByMichael Suttmoeller The domestic far-right movement has existed in the United States for many years. During that time, groups have appeared, disappeared and some have even reappeared. Even though thousands of groups have existed throughout history, very little is known about the organizational aspects of these groups, their leaders, and what causes these groups to disband. In order to advance the knowledge of these groups, their leaders and the causes of group death, this dissertation comprehensively examines a sample of groups that existed from 1990-2008. An interdisciplinary approach was utilized to identify external and internal correlates of organizational death, in order to empirically test which of these correlates influences whether a group dies. Further, organizational and individual leadership characteristics were examined to also determine what role leadership has in a group's demise. This study was unique in that it studied actual organizational death, rather than cessation of violence, and included both violent and non-violent groups. Results from this dissertation, provided empirical support for some previously only anecdotal explanations for organizational death, while also not providing empirical support for others. This dissertation contributes to the scholarly literature on domestic extremist groups, domestic terrorism, and leadership. This dissertation also provides information for law enforcement and policy makers that may be applied to better help them understand these groups, how they function, and how to better address issues they pose.
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