A Primer for Revolutionary Wannabes

10 lessons from Srdja Popovic’s Blueprints for Revolution.

Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels

---

All dictatorships are baked from the same basic ingredients: corruption, nepotism, mismanagement, social injustice, violence, and fear. So why do people choose to go along with them?

The book, Blueprint for Revolution, written by Srdja Popovic, offers a comprehensive guide on how to effectively utilise nonviolent revolutionary tactics to bring about social transformation.

Revolution: Not the violent kind: those usually end up soaked in the blood of innocent people. And not the type carried forth by a small group of zealots: if you wonder how those work out, curl up with a good biography of Lenin.

Instead, this is a book about the kind of movements that are now sweeping through so much of the world, from Cairo’s Tahrir Square to Occupy Wall Street.

It’s a book about the revolutions launched by ordinary people who believe that if they get together and think creatively, they can topple dictators and correct injustices.

In Blueprints for Revolution, Mr. Popovic calls for the application of the principles of nonviolent action to oppose oppression and bring about liberty, democracy, and joy.

In Blueprints for Revolution, he cited several examples that demonstrate what nonviolent activism looks like, as well as the key features that define successful movements for social change.

The book concluded with some practical tips on how to put these nonviolent techniques to good use.

10 Lessons from the Blueprints for Revolution.

1. Apathy will kill us all. But it is “possible, even under the most seemingly dire conditions, to get people to care. And when enough people cared, and enough of them got together to do something about it, change was imminent.” For me, having read of the possibility of successful and attractive nonviolent action, it was impossible to embrace violent revolutionary sing songs.

2. Mantras and slogans will take us nowhere. Organisation is key. Non-violent revolution is the only cause for action. You cannot hope to outpunch or outviolent those who heisted themselves into power, daring to damn all consequences and the will of the people.

3. Don’t centre your movement around a single charismatic leader. Otherwise, once the movement gets big enough, the authorities will violently incarcerate the leaders thereby emasculating them and their movements. “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.” A movement without easily identifiable leaders is tough to put down. Bring down one leader, dozens more will sprout up to fill the void.

4. The principles of non-violent revolution will work anywhere. From Gandhi’s era to the Serbian Revolution and beyond, these principles have been applied in nonviolent campaigns. They can work in any country, community, or even college.

5. To achieve victory in nonviolent struggles, numbers are crucial. For this reason, dictators and ballot-riggers fear mass gatherings and mass mobilization of the people. The key to achieving ultimate victory is an incremental approach. Therefore, take things step by step. Don’t try to achieve all your goals at once.

6. Most of the people you are fighting for are disinterested, unmotivated, apathetic, or downright hostile to the struggle. But by drawing a line that separates you from the bad guys, you will draw in more and more supporters.

7. Have a vision of what tomorrow will be. What do the people want? An end to religious and ethnic conflicts, a return to normalcy, safe communities, and a functioning government built on rigging-free democratic elections.

8. Identify and incorporate what the people want into the struggle. Most people will take risks and participate in a movement only if the cause is personally important to them. Knowing what the people cherish is vital. And many times, what moves the people are the mundane things.

9. Successfully achieving peaceful change through non-violent revolutions is not a quick and easy task, but rather a challenging journey that resembles a cross-country marathon race. “Proper revolutions are not cataclysmic explosions; they are long, controlled burns.” A revolution only picks up steam once two or more groups that have nothing to do with one another decide to join together for their mutual benefit. Therefore, all must be involved — the rich, the poor, and people from opposite religions,

10. To take down a dictatorship, you need to build a critical mass with everyone on your side. It’s almost impossible to do that with violence.

---

Whether you’re fighting Miloševićs or Assads, their strength will always lie in their ability and readiness to engage in violence. It’s the one thing that these regimes excel at. And these guys have trained armies at their disposal.

So a violent campaign against a dictator already starts out at a disadvantage. You’re attacking the enemy where he is strongest.

If you’re up against David Beckham, Slobo said, you don’t want to meet him on the soccer field. You want to play him at chess. That’s where you can win. Taking up arms against a dictator is a silly way to face him down.

---

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

Bringing the Lessons home

Revolution?

Yes, RevolutionNow. 
 
 It all depends on what you mean by Revolution or RevolutionNow.

So, tell me, what do you mean by Revoulution or RevolutionNow? Otherwise, your clamor for revolution is just noise that will end in “we we” consuming “we we”.
 
I admire the courage and resilience of compatriots like Omoyele Sowore. But RevolutionNow without educating and transforming our national values is taking us nowhere. 
 
At this point in time, any RevolutionNow by the maddening crowd in this thickening jungle of this native land will only end up in every one of our fellow native Nigerians helping to destroy every native other fellow Nigerian.
 
Come to think of it, is it the ballot box snatching youth that harasses ordinary men like us that you will entrust with Revolution?
 
By all means, let the Revolution start from within our churches, but not in the fashion of Tunde Bakare’s mixed grill of good and bad jingoistic outbursts.

Not only do we need a nonviolent revolution that rebirths the Nigerian nation, Christians and their pastors like Bakare need a revolution of true Christianity — saved by grace unto righteousness, truth, and godliness.

Christianity, especially as showcased by some Christian ministers, must shun off materialistic “no tithe no heaven” mercantilist false gospel. This spiritual revolution is necessary to mobilize faithful Christians, encouraging them to engage in our nation’s civic space and serve as a radiant representation of our Savior’s light to the world.

---

Closing Words

Nigeria, like many African countries, is under the yoke of bad governance. The people must shun apathy, embrace, and sustain non-violent revolution if ever the people are to experience progress or join modern civilization.

Source

Copyright © 2015 by Matthew Miller and Srdja Popovic, Blueprint for Revolution — How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other, Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House

---

Thanks for reading. This piece was originally published on Medium.

The lessons highlighted above are only brief excerpts of what the author taught and demonstrated. Let me know your mind in the comments section.

---