From Dissent to Democracy

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 book is the first to systematically examine transitions initiated by nonviolent resistance. In the book, 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. It tests the theory using a global statistical analysis of all political transitions and three case studies from Nepal, Zambia, and Brazil.