In diesem Buch wird argumentiert, dass Demokratien, die aus friedlichen Protesten hervorgegangen sind, länger bestehen, ein höheres Maß an demokratischer Qualität erreichen und mit größerer Wahrscheinlichkeit mindestens zwei friedliche Machtwechsel erleben als Demokratien, die aus gewaltsamem Widerstand oder einer Liberalisierung von oben hervorgegangen sind. Anhand von Fallstudien zur demokratischen Konsolidierung in Afrika und Lateinamerika kommt das Buch zu dem Ergebnis, dass gewaltfreier Widerstand einen integrativeren Übergangsprozess schafft, der langfristig widerstandsfähiger gegen den Zusammenbruch der Demokratie ist.

Traditionally, citizenship has been defined as the legal and political link between individuals and their democratic political community. However, traditional conceptions of democratic citizenship are currently challenged by various developments like migration, the rise of populism, increasing polarization, social fragmentation, and the challenging of representative democracy as well as developments in digital communication technology. Against this background, this peer reviewed book reflects recent conceptions of citizenship by bringing together insights from different disciplines, such as political science, sociology, economics, law, and history.

This book argues that democracies emerging from peaceful protest last longer, achieve higher levels of democratic quality, and are more likely to see at least two peaceful handovers of power than democracies that emerged out of violent resistance or top-down liberalization. Nonviolent resistance is not just an effective means of deposing dictators; it can also help consolidate democracy after the transition from autocratic rule. Drawing on case studies on democratic consolidation in Africa and Latin America, the authors find that nonviolent resistance creates a more inclusive transition process that is more resistant to democratic breakdown in the long term.