Hidden Brain · April 13, 2026 · 52m

How to Change the World

Political scientist Erica Chenoweth's research on 100+ years of revolutions: nonviolent resistance succeeds twice as often as violent resistance. The 3.5% rule — no government has survived a challenge if 3.5% of the population mobilized against it.

Highlights

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Nonviolent resistance is twice as effective as violent resistance

Chenoweth's study of 100+ years of revolutions and insurrections: nonviolent campaigns succeed 53% of the time vs. 26% for violent ones.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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The 3.5% rule — no government survives if 3.5% mobilize

No government in Chenoweth's dataset survived a challenge that mobilized 3.5% of the population in sustained nonviolent action.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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