TRADITIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN GANGS IN THE U.S. AND ENTRENCHED POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS WEAKENED DURING THE DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II. AFTER THE WAR, POPULATION COMPOSITION OF THE CITIES AND GANGS CHANGED AND JUVENILE CRIME ROSE. ALTHOUGH POLITICAL ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON GANGS IN THE 1960'S AS A TOOL TO PREVENT DELINQUENCY, STUDIES OF GANG MEMBERS' INTERESTS FOUND THAT MOST HAD LITTLE CONCERN FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. OVERALL, THE RELATION BETWEEN YOUTH, DELINQUENCY, AND POLITICS IN THE U.S. HAS BEEN TENUOUS AND PAROCHIAL AND CONTROLLED BY, RATHER THAN CONTROLLING, THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT. POLITICAL PARTIES IN SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FOCUS ON YOUTH TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN DO THOSE IN THE UNITED STATES AND POSSIBLY PROVIDE POTENTIAL DELINQUENTS WITH AN ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION, POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS ENCOMPASS A WIDE IDEOLOGICAL SPECTRUM, AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE MORE ACTIVE POLITICALLY THAN NONSTUDENTS. POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND DELINQUENCY CONVERGE INTO VIOLENCE WHEN THE LEVELS OF CLASS AND COMMUNAL GRIEVANCES ARE CONCURRENTLY HIGH, AS IN NORTHERN IRELAND WHERE YOUTH GANGS HAVE PLAYED SIGNIFICANT ROLES. DELINQUENT GANGS AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS TEND TO BE PRIMORDIAL AND HAVE DIFFICULTY MODERNIZING AND MOVING TOWARD POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND RESPECTABILITY. MODERNIZATION OF THESE YOUTH GROUPS CAN CREATE OTHER PROBLEMS BY BREAKING TRADITIONAL TIES AND PRODUCING NEW CONFLICTS. IN THE FUTURE, NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE WORLD'S HAVE-NOTS ARE LIKELY TO BE MANIFESTED IN POLITICAL COMPETITION AND CONFLICT. IF THIS IS COUNTERED ONLY BY COERCIVE CONTROLS, INCREASED TURMOIL AND CRIME WILL RESULT. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MJM)