Some governments are better at crushing rebellion than others. There may be many reasons. One pertains to whether the government is willing and able to be sufficiently brutal. Another to the size of the rebellion.
In Nepal, a country between India and Tibet, a rebellion against the government has—so far—succeeded because so many people have joined it and because the government, though willing to fire into a crowd, proved to be weak. The people got their social media back and, as a bonus, the resignation of the prime minister.
A recent India Today article was quickly out of date (September 9, 2025):
Tens of thousands of young Nepalis poured onto the streets on Monday in what is being seen as a Gen Z revolution over the social media ban imposed by the government last week. The country on Thursday [had] banned major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, alleging that they failed to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology….
The anger on Nepal’s streets goes beyond just the social media blackout. For many young protesters, the ban was the breaking point in a long list of frustrations with the government. What began as outrage over blocked platforms has quickly turned into a wider movement calling out corruption, authoritarianism, and a lack of accountability in leadership.
“Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the crowds chanted, waving the red and blue national flags….
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli defended the ban on unregistered social media platforms, insisting that “any attempt to undermine the nation can never be tolerated,” despite mounting opposition from several groups.
KP Sharma Oli didn’t last long. Protestors set fire to his home and the homes of other officials, and to the parliament building, and stormed his office. He has resigned. “I hope this change will bring something that is positive to us,” one of the protesters said.
Protest in the PRC
In 1989, Beijing brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and elsewhere. Many people participated, but not enough.
The widespread White Paper protests of 2022 accomplished much of their purpose. Protesters demanded: “Abolish ‘Covid zero,’ ” the government’s extra-totalitarian efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In response, the Party abruptly withdrew some of the worst measures (the abruptness was accidental, argues a Diplomat article). But it kept pandemic-motivated additions to its methods of oppression; for example, the expansion and fine-tuning of the social credit system used to name, shame, and punish violators of the arbitrary COVID-control rules. (According to Vincient Brussee’s 2023 book Social Credit, “social credit will increasingly transcend legal processes” in China.) And although the state ended its COVID-zero policies, it did not forgive the protesters, punishing many whom it could identify.
Despite the recent shiny parade, the Beijing government may be weaker than it seems. One day, rebellion could bring it down if sufficiently widespread and persistent. It won’t be an easy test.
