The Role of Civil Resistance in the Establishment of Democracy and Advancement of Democratization

The victories of nonviolent resistance movements in establishing and maintaining democracy are highly inspiring. In nonviolent resistance, thousands of people take to the streets in various ways, rejecting an authoritarian and dictatorial present and striving for a new, vibrant, and democratic future. They chant slogans on the streets that reflect their objectives, as exemplified by "Solidarity" in Poland in the 1980s, "New Nepal" in Kathmandu in 2006, or "Freedom, Bread, Social Justice" on the streets of Cairo in 2011, and the example of Egypt. People essentially embraced a path of prosperity, freedom, and new democratic institutions, leaving their past behind. However, some scholars view this with skepticism; for example, Eric Lee argued that changing the political system through street protests would lead to "mobocracy," an uncertain cycle of political instability and violent repression. Authoritarian regimes worldwide have fueled this fear, spreading the idea that even nonviolently overthrowing a regime leads to political instability and violence, and Russian President Vladimir Putin described nonviolent resistance "color revolutions" as "tragic" and "irresponsible experiments" and took measures to suppress such movements. While reports on democracy (Polity Index and Freedom House) indicate a decline in democratic values during this period, the academic literature on democratization offers little guidance to activists seeking to democratize their country's political system. Democracy scholars have paid little attention to the specific challenges that arise during political transitions initiated by nonviolent conflict. Most theories either emphasize the origins of political transitions. This is surprising, given that a close examination of the historical record reveals that nonviolent protest has played a crucial role in dozens of major democratic transitions over the past several decades. Since the beginning of the last century, numerous struggles have unfolded in the streets, including India's anti-colonial struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi, struggles against military rule in other Asian countries and Latin America, the anti-communist movements of 1989-1991, the Color Revolutions of the early 21st century, and the Arab Spring movements of 2010-2012. This paper will examine the role of nonviolent civil action in establishing sustainable democracy and in the process of democratization. It will also attempt to understand how nonviolent action and civil mobilization contribute to the advancement of democratic values.