Prisingsmakt

Prisingsmakt is a term used in political science and sociology to describe the capacity of a group—often a population segment, a social movement, or an insurgent organization—to initiate and sustain an uprising against an established authority. It denotes more than willingness to resist; it encompasses organizational strength, resource mobilization, strategic coherence, and the potential for broad-based support, either from local communities or external actors.

Core components include the level of popular grievances, the existence of leadership and organizational structures, communication networks, and the ability to convert support into sustained action. Economic resources, logistics, and access to safe havens or external backing can significantly affect prisingsmakt. Legitimacy and political grievances, as well as the perceived feasibility of success, influence a group's resolve and resilience.

Determinants of prisingsmakt include political repression, governance legitimacy, economic conditions, social cleavages, and the availability of alternatives for peaceful reform. Modern factors such as digital communication, social movements, and transnational networks can amplify mobilization. The concept is analytical rather than prescriptive and is often used to assess risk or understand historical episodes.

Measurement is challenging and usually relies on qualitative indicators—scale and duration of protests, organizational breadth, resource flows, and the ability to sustain operations. Critics argue that the concept risks oversimplification and may conflate different forms of dissent.

In practice, prisingsmakt is used to analyze uprisings, civil resistance, and insurgencies, with attention to context and nonviolent versus violent strategies. It is a descriptive tool to compare conditions across cases rather than a prediction or a manual for action.