Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
What is the 3.5% rule?
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Massive crowd of Georgian opposition supporters fills Tbilisi's main square, with Georgian flags raised outside a large government building. Demonstrators celebrating Slovenian independence hold a large white, blue, and red Slovenian flag aloft at night.
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Massive crowd of Georgian opposition supporters fills Tbilisi's main square, with Georgian flags raised outside a large government building.
Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution: Thousands of Georgians demonstrated throughout November 2003 to protest against fraudulent elections and to call for Pres. Eduard Shevardnadze's resignation Supporters of the Georgian opposition rally on the main square of Tbilisi, November 9, 2003, one of several demonstrations that month in Georgia protesting against recent fraudulent elections and, later, calling for Pres. Eduard Shevardnadze's resignation. He resigned on November 23.

What is the 3.5% rule?

Written by
Amy McKenna
Amy McKenna is a senior editor, primarily focused on geography and history matters pertaining to sub-Saharan Africa. She joined Encyclopaedia Britannica in 2004. She was previously employed by Standard...
Amy McKenna
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

The 3.5% rule refers to the assertion that if at least 3.5% of a country’s population has actively opposed the government during a “peak” (significant) event, then that government will not be able to withstand the challenge. The claim was first presented by Erica Chenoweth (they/them), a political scientist, in 2013 at a TEDx Talk about the success of nonviolent civil resistance. The rule came from Chenoweth’s 2013 review of their dataset of 323 “campaigns”—i.e.,...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile