To Democracy: A Conceptual Fr... | From Dictatorship

: Acknowledge that external aid or negotiations rarely work, as tyrants use them to stall or maintain power .

: Use nonviolent weapons to selectively target the regime's pillars while maintaining strict nonviolent discipline to avoid alienating potential allies. From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Fr...

: Build durable democratic institutions during the transition to prevent the rise of a new dictatorship. : Acknowledge that external aid or negotiations rarely

This guide outlines the core strategies from Gene Sharp’s From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation , a seminal manual for nonviolent resistance used in movements like the Arab Spring . Core Philosophy: The Pillars of Support This guide outlines the core strategies from Gene

Sharp argues that all power is conditional on the cooperation of the governed. A dictatorship only stands as long as its Pillars of Support —institutions like the military, media, and civil service—remain loyal. Resistance aims to erode this support until the regime collapses. Strategic Categories of Action

: Systematically withdraw cooperation until the regime’s administrative and coercive tools no longer function.

The framework identifies 198 methods of nonviolent struggle, categorized into three levels of engagement: