21 votes

Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change

Posted by vili
Tags: protests, civil society, nonviolent resistance, social change, activism, military conflict, author.david robson, source.bbc future
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

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Title
The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world
Authors
David Robson
Word count
2041 words

3 comments

  1. [2]
    ohyran
    Link
    I haven’t researched this at all of course but using one of the examples: the protests against Marcos in 86, I kinda got to say that the definition of “non-violent” feels pretty broad. It...

    I haven’t researched this at all of course but using one of the examples: the protests against Marcos in 86, I kinda got to say that the definition of “non-violent” feels pretty broad. It contained riots, defecting military who voiced support to dissident generals. It had helicopter attacks and missiles etc.
    Sure, the core was open protests but without the inherent threat of a coup by the military, the US lifting it’s hand from Marcos, and threat towards the first family it would just have been a protest

    (... IT SEEMS, this is random history books + Wikipedia knowledge so read this as it was written: by a person with close to zero knowledge)

    6 votes
    1. frailtomato
      Link Parent
      I’ve heard it said several times that MLK succeeded thanks partly to the threat of the alternative (Malcolm X).

      I’ve heard it said several times that MLK succeeded thanks partly to the threat of the alternative (Malcolm X).

      2 votes
  2. MonkeyPants
    Link
    Are we at 3.5% of the population yet?

    Are we at 3.5% of the population yet?

    5 votes