A story about the power of people to change the world, and about a man who has been helping people overthrow their dictators for more than 50 years. His name is Gene Sharp and although he is unknown in many parts of the world, his 198 methods of carrying out a revolution have caused a stir in various parts of the world.
The revolutionary power of non-violent resistance
From a young age, his education led him to want to make the world a better place and to leave it in a better condition than he found it. He made it clear that the best way to combat authoritarian regimes is through nonviolent resistance.
His simple handbook “From Dictatorship to Democracy,” translated into 30 languages, has secretly crossed borders. The latest technologies have spread it like wildfire and its idea that there is a powerful alternative to violent conflict has prevailed in revolutions such as the Serbian, Ukrainian, Iranian or the most recent “Arab Spring” revolution.
Economic, psychological and social weapons against oppression
Using testimonies and archives, “How to Start a Revolution” illustrates some forms of rebellion, such as economic boycotts, civil disobedience or protests, applied in different political contexts. Activists of the Serbian, Ukrainian and Egyptian revolutions tell us how they followed Gene Sharp’s methods and overthrew their tyrants. They fought with economic, psychological and social weapons, the most powerful fight against oppression, injustice and violence.
Thanks to the Internet, awareness recovered
The theories of this American scholar are still widely distributed on the Internet today. From Burma to Tunisia, his successes were undisputed and governments such as Venezuela and Iran accused him of working for the CIA and thereby supporting the expansionist policies of the United States.
The current leaders of the Arab revolutions currently taking place tell how Sharp’s theories penetrate the people and lead oppressed people to achieve freedom in a self-sufficient way.