Dissident Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
A dissident is a person that actively opposes the established order. The term is most often used to refer to political dissidents, usually against Authoritarian regimes. Political dissidents usually use non-violent means, which can range from voicing criticism of the government to attempts to displace or overthrow the established government by achieving popular support and sparking a revolution. In totalitarian regimes these dissidents are often punished with lengthy prison sentences, execution or economic deprivation. Similarly, social dissidents openly oppose dominant social attitudes. In democratic societies political and social dissidents are supposed to be free from government pressure, but there have been noteable instances of persecution, such as the witch hunts in the United States for communists in the 1950sor the treatment of people opposed to programs such as Affirmative Action in the last half of the 20th century. Few governments tolerate significant criticism.Militant dissidents are usually in the form of armed paramilitary groups whose aim is usually to overthrow a government or regime, or otherwise impose changes on the established order. Since militant dissidents are almost always militarily disadvantaged compared to the ruling power, such groups usually resort to asymmetric warfare; guerilla warfare, or in some cases, terrorism, to further their cause. Such groups are often denounced as terrorists by the ruling power regardless.
Noted dissidents include Andrei Sakharov, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Nelson Mandela.