Non-participation and non-violence: is there a chance of peaceful protest against dictatorial regimes

It is no secret that after the failure of the mass peaceful protests that shook Belarus last year, many Russian experts unanimously decided that the world could not achieve anything from totalitarian and authoritarian regimes either in Belarus or in Russia; health. Roughly speaking, the idea of violent overthrow of dictatorships is becoming more and more popular, while jokes about peaceful protests with "flashlights" or "paper cups" in their hands, on the contrary, are becoming fashionable on social networks. Is it really?

This is how the Belarusian journalist Ostap Karmody writes about this:

“After the successful Velvet Revolutions in Eastern Europe, peaceful protest has become very fashionable.

But the peaceful protest in the late 1980s was a success only because the local dictatorial regimes were held not on their own resources, but on the threat that Big Brother would introduce tanks, as happened in 1956 in Hungary and in 1968 in Czechoslovakia.

As soon as Big Brother made it clear that he would not introduce tanks, the Eastern European regimes had no support left and they collapsed from the slightest push.

However, their downfall has created a belief in the efficacy of peaceful protests that has lasted for 30 years.

Probably now, after Iran, Venezuela and Belarus, where power is based not on someone else's, but on its own cruelty, and is not going to go anywhere, simply because several hundred thousand people took to the streets with placards, this belief will come to naught..."

However, Ukrainian journalist Yulia Pyatetskaya objects, citing compelling statistics:

“For several days I have been reading posts, texts and comments that there are no peaceful revolutions, any peaceful protest is doomed. And in general, everyone is doomed. For all.

My university lecturer in Old Church Slavonic, when the students started talking nonsense, always boiled: “But why? Because school training is not enough!"

Lacks.

Some examples.

* Indian revolution against British rule (1920-1947). Mahatma Gandhi. Have you heard, perhaps, about the movement of non-violent resistance to colonial power? NON cooperation, NON assistance, NON participation, NON complicity, NON violence.

* April Revolution in South Korea (1960). Demonstrations, peaceful protests, democratic elections.

* Overthrow of the dictatorship of Marcos in the Philippines (1986). A typical case. Presidential elections, rigging, Marcos self-proclaimed, peaceful protests, overthrow.

* Democratic Revolution in South Korea (1979-1987). Protests, civil disobedience, democratic elections. Pay attention to the dates. Eight years of peaceful disobedience.

* Revolution in Poland. The fall of the Jaruzelski-Kischak regime (1988-1989). Haven't you heard too? It seems like not everyone was born in this century? Nationwide strike. Negotiations with the government. The government is bluffing, cheating, impudent. The government is losing. Elections out of bounds. But the opposition wins them all the same. One of the leaders of Solidarity, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, forms the first non-communist government in Eastern Europe.

* "Velvet Revolution" in Czechoslovakia. The fall of the Gustav Husak regime (1988-1989). Endless peaceful protests. Resignation of the government. Reform of the HRC. Vaclav Havel, human rights activist, fighter against the communist regime, dissident, writer and journalist, has been elected president.

* Revolution in Hungary (1989). Without dust and noise, the communists are reforming everything. The reburial of Imre Nagy is attended by 100 thousand people.

* Revolution in the GDR. Ku-ku! The fall of Honnecker and the Berlin Wall (1989-1990). Google it.

* One of the most striking examples is the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime in Romania (1989). Many people seem to have heard, but are not aware, that the protest was peaceful. It's just very massive. And then the freak was shot. For numerous crimes against his people.

* Revolutions in the Baltic States (1889-1991). Google to the rescue. Find out finally how independence was born there.

* The fall of the Sandinista dictatorship in Nicaragua (1990). A very illustrative example. Well, very much. There was just a fair election in which everyone united against the Sandinistas. In such cases, they talk about the evolutionary path of development of society. Or about a historical pattern. By the way, all attempts to violently overthrow the regime did not bring success.

* GKChP. The collapse of the USSR (1991). Peaceful protests and demonstrations. Google it.

* The fall of the Suharto regime in Indonesia (1998). Protests! Protests! Protests! Resignation.

* "Bulldozer revolution" in Yugoslavia. The fall of the Milosevic regime (2000). Elections, rigging, peaceful protests, a new president.

* Overthrow of the Fujimori regime in Peru (2000) Protests, incriminating evidence, international (!) Pressure.

* "Rose Revolution" in Georgia (2003). It seems like not so long ago. Don't you remember?

* "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine (2004)"

Most likely, peaceful protests win precisely in periods of relative weakness, which happens to any, even super-totalitarian government. Therefore, you should not lose hope for peaceful changes...