With the recent struggles in Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, it is now more than ever evident that people oppressed by dictatorial regimes have the power to claim back their lives and their freedom from their rulers. These primarily non-violent revolutions (Libya excluded) have reshaped the face of many nations across the globe and, whether people know it or not, these movements bear the hallmarks of the writings of Gene Sharp.
How to Start a Revolution documents the work of Gene Sharp, founder of the Albert Einstein Institute and author of From Dictatorship to Democracy, a thinker who propagates the dream of freedom to otherwise oppressed nations. His ideas and theories of non-violent protest and civil disobedience have helped bring this freedom to former dictatorships, inspiring revolution and unity among the oppressed, and bringing about new found liberties.
Sharp's ideas have been incorporated across the globe, reshaping oppressive governments and bringing power to the people through peaceful means. With his work being linked to the revolutions in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus Lithuania, and more recently in Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, it's clear that Sharp's influence has the power to change the face of the Earth. His writings have even gained him notoriety with many of the politicians they seek to overthrow, to the extent that two print shops that had dared to publish his writings were burnt down. Despite this, his word finds a way of reaching those who desire change, and help to inspire and galvanise revolution.
From the disturbing images of undue violence under dictatorial regimes and clips from the Korea and Vietnam wars, to the inspiring footage of tens of thousands of people in non-violent protest against their governments and snippets from interviews with Gene Sharp and his associates, How to Start a Revolution is a powerful and moving piece about the struggle for freedom that so many people face, and how the non-violent alternative is the best approach to bringing down dictatorships.
His 198 methods of non-violent protest literally are revolutionary, indicating that the fight for freedom needn't be fought with weapons, but with unity and justice. Gene Sharp is truly a shining exemplar for humanity, and although his work is not fully appreciated in our time, I hope that his legacy will one day go down in the history books as the man who helped liberate the oppressed and reshaped the civilisations of the world.
If you get a chance to see this documentary, I would highly recommend it. For more information on How to Start a Revolution, please click here.
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