Blueprint for Revolution
Srđa Popović
The book begins off by talking about how there is always a reason not to attempt a non-violent revolution. Every single case of authoritarianism has a unique set of circumstances and therefore there is no precedent on which to base expectations of success on. Nevertheless, just because something has never been done before doesn’t mean that it cannot be done. Every single non-violent revolution that succeeds around the world changes the lives of millions for the vastly better. Therefore, even if it may seem like a large undertaking, the weight of the success so outweighs the consequences of failure that it is a moral imperative to seize an opportunity to begin a non-violent revolution if it presents it.
In order to have a successful movement you need people, and to gather these people you need to build momentum. Although in some cases there is already momentum going against the dictator and ruling class, in most momentum needs to be built in other places and then redirected against the ruling class. To do this, you can start off by targeting a cause that a lot of people care about because it's the mundane things in life that are the big movers. For example in Israel, momentum was built around a cottage cheese boycott, which was representative of the larger anger felt at the cost of living and Israel. Furthermore, after this momentum has been built and people have felt that they are making a difference, larger topics can be tackled.
It is very hard to protest outright against a traditional dictatorship, which is why it is important to protest in a way that is harder for the government to target by creating a lose-lose situation for the dictators. These are situations where the protest and the disrespect is clearly there, but it would look even worse for the government to shut down the protests. For example, one protest that was done in Serbia was to bury speakers in a variety of places across the city and to blast music that was disrespectful to the regime on them. However, when officers came to remove the speakers they were forced to dig through sewers and other unpleasant places, meaning that even in shutting down the protest the government harmed its reputation. These types of protests are especially effective in places where no dissent is tolerated because the government is forced into increasingly ridiculous and embarrassing positions under the pretext of keeping the peace.
It is very important for the movement to have a vision to stand behind and a plan to execute the vision. Although building the momentum is the hardest part, it is also very hard to effectively direct this momentum. The leaders need to know what their end goal is and how they will get there. Without this planning, movements will die out and be unsuccessful.
It is very important to know when to declare victory and move on for a movement. No government will capitulate entirely from a dictatorship directly into democracy, it always happens in steps. It is very important to know when you have gotten as far as you will right now and to give up. For example, in China, student protests had gained some mild success and the Chinese government had agreed to some of the demands. However, when the protesters didn’t agree and went home the Chinese government reversed their stance and dispersed the protesters and increased the oppression. Furthermore, it is also very important to declare victory in order to show that victory can be had. In many dictatorships a peaceful victory can inspire people to join the movement.
Finally, it is very important to ensure that after a dictatorship is toppled, another one does not rise to take its place. In many places, the government will simply revert so it is extremely important to prevent that from happening. This can be done by keeping civil liberties at a very high level and appointing trustworthy people to oversee the elections.