The Three and Half % Rule

2min Snip

00:00

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

In the united states, that's like 11 and a half million people. In china, it's many tens of millions of people. Erica found that movements that mobilized about three and a half % of the population succeeded pretty much everywhere. But before you think it's easy to organize and execute a mass movement for change, america has a few caviats about that data point.

Does power truly flow from the barrel of a gun? Pop culture and conventional history often teach us that violence is the most effective way to produce change. But is that common assumption actually true? Political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who has studied more than 100 years of revolutions and insurrections, says the answer is counterintuitive.

If you like this show, please check out our new podcast, My Unsung Hero! And if you'd like to support our work, you can do so at support.hiddenbrain.org.