Heads off an insurrection with some electricity, potentially (4)
I believe the answer is:
volt
If this is the answer I cannot explain how the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for volt that I've seen before include "Electrical SI unit named after a pioneering Italian physicist, d. 1827" , "SI unit of electromotive force" , "Unit of electrical potential" , "Electrical unit of measurement" , "little force" .)