...This chapter demonstrates that opposition is not exclusively modern. Legitimate opposition made a recognizable mark on fifth-century, democratic Athens. Corroborating this argument, the chapter illustrates how the Athenian practice of ostracism and the rules governing its political system were used...

...This concluding chapter contends that legitimate opposition is still relevant in the present day. It discusses the actions of former U.S. President Donald Trump in particular, as his remarks during the 2016 presidential campaign returned the idea of the legitimacy of opposition to political...

...This introductory chapter argues that legitimate opposition should be distinguished from democracy. Doing so will help to reevaluate and reappraise legitimate opposition. Following this path will reveal whether opposition warrants active, even militant, defense. It will help explain why it is wrong...

... of the Powerless Haven Venezuela Putin Vladimir modern state Poland religious beliefs accountability free association free speech rent seeking Athenian democracy ostracism electoral autocracy real-world regimes political outcomes citizens' agency fraudulent political activity legitimate opposition...

...This chapter investigates the reception of legitimate opposition during France's Revolutionary era. In particular, it draws on this history to weigh noncompetitive alternatives to opposition. The dream of a popular regime innocent of political competition or opposition marked the writing...

...In political systems defined by legitimate opposition, those who hold power allow their rivals to peacefully challenge and displace them, and those who have lost power do not seek to sabotage the winners. Legitimate opposition came under assault at the American capitol on January 6, 2021...

...This chapter develops an independent account of opposition's value—that is, the adversarial conception of legitimate opposition. Along the way, the chapter critically discusses rival perspectives developed by Ronald Dworkin, Robert Goodin, and Ian Shapiro. Here, the aim of the chapter...