The Right of Nation to Resist in Historical and Legal Thoughts: from Origin to Recognition

The article analyzes the process of recognition of the right of nation to resist as a natural human right. It traces the development of the idea of resistance to tyranny from its first mentioning in the Bible through the formation of the concept of resistance of the nation during the proliferation of Christianity; the definition of the right to resist to an unjust government as a part of the theory of social contract; recognition of this right as a natural law, and using it in political documents. After the Revolution of Dignity the right of nation to resist oppression has received an increased attention in the Ukrainian society. This right has frequently become the subject of the expert and scientific research, while the idea of incorporation of the relevant legal provisions in the text of the Constitution of Ukraine has become noticeably popular. The goal of the article is to contribute into the research of the content of the right of a nation to resistance through clarification of its origins and stages of development. The paper will examine ideas and views of philosophers and thinkers who made the most significant contribution into the development of the concept of the right to resist. The evolution of this right will be successively considered from its first mentioning in historical texts, through the conception of disobedience to tyrannical power, to assertion of the right of a nation to resist as a natural and inalienable right of the people and an integral part of the social contract theory.У статті здійснено аналіз становлення права народу на опір як природного права людини від першої згадки про нього, через зародження концепції народного опору в думці мислителів епохи Середньовіччя, визначення права на опір як складової теорії суспільного договору та до його утвердження, визнання природним правом та початок використання в політичній площині