From dissent to democracy: the promise and perils of civil resistance transitions

In: Oxford scholarship online

Abstract

The existing scholarly literature on democratization has found that transitions initiated by nonviolent resistance tend to be more likely to lead to democracy, a critically-important finding in a time when democracy may be backsliding around the world. But there are many prominent exceptions to that trend. So why do some nonviolent transitions end in democracy and others do not? This text systematically examines transitions initiated by nonviolent resistance. In the work, the author argues that two key challenges: maintaining high levels of social mobilization and directing that mobilization away from revolutionary 'maximalist' goals and tactics towards supporting new institutions are the key factors explaining when democracy will follow nonviolent resistance campaigns.