We've spent a lot of time at Bigger Than Me analyzing current events and breaking down how they connect to the authoritarian patterns outlined by historian Timothy Snyder. But today's post takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on what's happening around us, we're turning our attention to what we can do about it.
This post will introduce you to Dr. Erica Chenoweth's groundbreaking research on nonviolent resistance, explain the proven 3.5% rule that has toppled authoritarian regimes throughout history, and show you concrete ways to get involved in the growing movement for coordinated action. Most importantly, we'll explore how signing up for a general strike—when the time is right—represents one of the most powerful tools available to defend democracy.
From Recognition to Action
While Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny provides crucial lessons for identifying authoritarian tactics—helping us recognize when democratic institutions are under threat—there's another scholar whose work complements this perfectly: Dr. Erica Chenoweth.
Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard and one of the world's leading experts on civil resistance, studied more than a century of uprisings and protest movements across the globe. Where Snyder's work serves as an early warning system, Chenoweth's research provides the blueprint for response. Their findings reveal something remarkable: nonviolent resistance is not only morally sound, it is strategically effective.
The 3.5% Rule That Changes Everything
Chenoweth's most striking discovery is this: when just 3.5% of a population participates consistently and actively in nonviolent resistance, no regime—no matter how authoritarian—has ever withstood it.
Not a majority. Just 3.5%. In the United States, that's about 11 million people. This isn't speculation or theory—it's documented historical fact.
Consider these examples:
Philippines (1986): The People Power Revolution mobilized millions in a peaceful uprising that ended Ferdinand Marcos's brutal dictatorship. More than 3.5% of the population participated, no shots were fired, and the regime fell.
Sudan (2019): Over 2 million people sustained nonviolent protests that ousted a dictator who had ruled for 30 years. This revolution, led largely by youth and women, forced a transition of power.
Both movements succeeded not through force or chaos, but through strategy, coordination, and mass participation.
How Diffuse Resistance Works
Chenoweth's research reveals the power of what scholars call "diffuse resistance"—a wide-reaching network of nonviolent actions carried out by many people in many places. This approach distributes the effort so no single group bears the entire burden.
These tactics include walkouts, sickouts, slowdowns, refusals to comply, consumer boycotts, and protest marches. When coordinated across a population, they apply pressure to the very systems that enable oppression.
Current Examples: The 50501 Protests
We're already seeing this approach in action. Across the nation, people participate in biweekly 50501 protests—originally planned as 50 protests in 50 states in one day, but now featuring hundreds of events every two weeks in both red and blue states. Participation grows with each round.
These decentralized protests represent diffuse resistance in practice, sending a clear message: we see what's happening, and we will not stay silent.
The General Strike: A Strategic Next Step
There's something even more powerful being organized—a general strike designed to be a turning point. Here's how it works:
A general strike is a collective decision to stop business as usual on the same day by refusing to work, shop, or comply. It's a mass withdrawal from the systems that depend on our labor and cooperation to function.
The goal isn't chaos—it's clarity. The message is unmistakable: people will not support authoritarianism with their time, money, or labor.
The strategic element: No strike will be called until 3.5% of the US population commits to participate. This is where strike cards come in.
What Signing a Strike Card Means
Signing a strike card doesn't mean you're striking tomorrow. It means you're willing to act when the critical mass is reached—when we have the numbers needed to make real change possible.
It's a public commitment that serves three purposes:
Shows you're not alone in your willingness to act
Builds toward the strategic threshold needed for success
Creates a coordinated movement rather than scattered individual actions
This isn't performative or symbolic. It's a commitment to join millions in coordinated nonviolent resistance when the moment demands it.
Why This Approach Matters Now
The traditional guardrails are weakening. Congress faces gridlock, and even the Supreme Court no longer consistently upholds democratic norms. In this environment, the most powerful force left in a democracy is ordinary people acting together.
The question isn't whether we have power—history proves we do. The question is whether we'll organize to use it effectively.
How to Get Involved
When people ask "What can I do?" here's one concrete answer: you can choose to be counted among those ready to act when it matters most.
Signing a strike card means you're prepared—ready to be counted, ready to stand with others, ready to act when the strategic moment arrives.
Take Action
Our efforts draw inspiration from Lesson 8 in Snyder's On Tyranny: Stand Out. "The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow."
Resources:
General Strike website: generalstrikeus.com
Dr. Erica Chenoweth's TED Talk: Dr Chenoweth Explains Their Research and Insights
Sample social media posts to spread the word
Social Media Post
🚨A General Strike is being organized—but it won’t happen until 3.5% of Americans commit to take part. Why 3.5%? Because history shows that’s the tipping point where nonviolent movements win. Understand the strategy. Consider joining.
#GeneralStrike #50501 #BiggerThanMe
https://btmdemocracyproject.substack.com/p/understanding-our-power-how-to-take-4b5
Stay Loud, Stay Kind!
Let everyone see protecting is an American right, and you are showing everyone what democracy looks like.
Sources
Chenoweth, E., & Stephan, M. J. (2011). Why civil resistance works: The strategic logic of nonviolent conflict. Columbia University Press.
Chenoweth, E. (2013, February). The success of nonviolent civil resistance [Video]. TEDxBoulder. https://www.ted.com/talks/erica_chenoweth_the_success_of_nonviolent_civil_resistance
Kurtz, L. (2021). People power movements and the 3.5% rule. Albert Einstein Institution. https://www.aeinstein.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/People-Power-and-the-3.5-Rule.pdf
BBC News. (2019, April 11). Sudan crisis: President Bashir forced to step down by army. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47891470
Enloe, C. (2019, July 18). The women behind Sudan’s revolution. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/sudan-women-revolution/
Philippine Commission on Human Rights. (2016). The People Power Revolution: A historic display of non-violent resistance. https://chr.gov.ph/the-people-power-revolution/
Snyder, T. (2017). On tyranny: Twenty lessons from the twentieth century. Tim Duggan Books.
