Why do People Rebel?

States and societies stand on contracts that bind people with their state, thereby establishing a peaceful social order. In these contracts, people are granted rights, in return for which they observe the state’s rules and abide by its institutions. It is a reciprocal relationship that requires both sides to survive and endure the tests and hardships of time. In today’s world, almost every state is established and sustained through this social contract. The social contractualists—Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau—presented their detailed views on this link between the state and its subjects. If either side fails to uphold what is written or pledged in the contract, the social balance is disrupted, and the state loses its peaceful social order. This imbalance affects both the state and its subjects. People are deprived of their institutional rights, thus making them insecure. Their fundamental rights are not respected as described in the constitution. Such a state is often led by extractive institutions that serve the interests of the elite and a narrow ruling class. This breeds a sense of deprivation among the subjects. The failure of institutions to serve the common people and the illicit, malpractice-ridden dominance of powerful authorities compel people to struggle for their due rights. Due to the state’s constant denial of rights, people begin rebelling against the atrocities of the state. State institutions often lose credibility, and the state comes to see force as the only solution to these issues. This cleavage can be minimized through justice, the rule of law, public participation, and strict adherence to the constitution.