civilian resistance
Nonmilitary opposition movement
Civilian resistance refers to opposition against an occupying force, authoritarian government, or oppressive system by ordinary citizens rather than military personnel.
Methods range from passive noncompliance and civil disobedience to sabotage and underground networks: The civilian resistance distributed illegal newspapers, Civilian resistance movements helped Allied pilots escape Nazi-occupied territory.
The term emphasizes that participants are not professional soldiers but people defending their communities, livelihoods, or principles.
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- sit inProtest by remaining seated
- disobedienceRefusal to follow orders
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
human chain · rebellion · general strike · underground · sabotage · leaflets · curfew · occupation · boycott · hunger strike · strike · dissent · smuggling · false papers · hiding · shelter · partisan · nonviolent
- Nazi ResistanceWhite Rose, Valkyrie, Beck, Moltke, assassination attempts
civilian resistancearmed rebellion
Violent resistance to authority
armed struggle · guerrilla warfare · military coup · armed insurrection · terrorism
civilian resistancemilitary occupation
Foreign army's territorial administration
authoritarian control · martial law · police enforcement · tyranny
civilian resistanceacquiescence
Unresisting acceptance
collaboration · submission · capitulation · political apathy · complacency
civilian, resistance, civil, civility, civilities, civilize, civilized, uncivilized, civilization