AbstractIn this paper three experimental studies are reported in which leaders were given a choice between intergroup competition or ‐cooperation under the threat of being deposed or not by their followers.Consistent with our predictions, threatened leaders were more likely to opt for intergroup competition, especially when their group was internally divided and when they had a strong bargaining position. However, they only chose intergroup competition, regardless of their chances of bringing the intergroup conflict to a successful conclusion, when their tenure of power was very precariou