: Direct actions that disrupt the regime's functioning, such as sit-ins and the creation of alternative social institutions. Key Steps for Liberation
: Formulate a comprehensive grand strategy rather than relying on spontaneous protests. This requires identifying the regime's specific weaknesses and sources of power. From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Fr...
: Build durable democratic institutions during the transition to prevent the rise of a new dictatorship. : Direct actions that disrupt the regime's functioning,
: Symbolic acts like walkouts, public silence, and formal statements to signal opposition. A dictatorship only stands as long as its
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.