Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Ius resistendi (the right of resistance)
(3,113 words)

1. Definition

In political philosophy, the right of resistance (Latin ius resistendi, French droit de résistance, German Widerstandsrecht) is the right to employ individual or collective force against an unjust order of the government (Sovereign power); it represents the highest form of political disobedience [5. 92–95]. In this sense, it was already recognized in antiquity, althoug…

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Scattola, Merio, “Ius resistendi (the right of resistance)”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 24 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_030344>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190124



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