How To Get Rid Of A Dictator-This Is A Summary Of What Citizens Can Do To Dislodge An Oppressive Dictator. It focuses entirely on nonviolent action, because the state almost always has overwhelming superiority when it comes to the use of force. Violent opposition most often leads to prolonged stalemate or prolonged civil war.
Getting rid of a dictator is a complex and context-specific challenge, often involving a mix of political, social, and sometimes economic strategies. Historically, dictators have been removed through various means, ranging from peaceful resistance to violent uprisings. Here are some broad approaches that have been observed in different situations:
Mass Mobilization and Protests:
Organized, sustained public demonstrations can pressure a dictator to step down. Examples include the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines, where widespread nonviolent protests ousted Ferdinand Marcos. The key is unity, persistence, and overwhelming numbers to make the regime’s position untenable.
Erosion of Support:
Dictators often rely on a loyal inner circle—military, political elites, or economic backers. Undermining this support can weaken their grip. This might involve persuading key allies to defect, exposing corruption, or creating incentives for betrayal, as seen when military leaders abandoned Nicolás Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, during a failed coup attempt in 2002.
International Pressure:
Sanctions, diplomatic isolation, or foreign intervention can destabilize a regime. For instance, economic sanctions and NATO’s involvement helped push Slobodan Milošević out of power in Serbia in 2000. However, this depends heavily on global cooperation and can backfire if the dictator uses it to rally nationalist sentiment.
Internal Coup or Rebellion:
A military or insider coup can swiftly remove a dictator, as happened with Idi Amin in Uganda in 1979. This requires discontent within the regime’s power structure and often a charismatic or opportunistic figure to lead the charge.
Armed Resistance:
When peaceful options fail, armed uprisings or revolutions—like the Libyan revolt against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011—can topple a dictator. This tends to be bloody, chaotic, and risks replacing one tyrant with another if not carefully managed.
Exile or Negotiation:
Sometimes, offering a dictator safe passage out of the country can avoid bloodshed. This happened with Haiti’s Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986, who fled to France after losing support. It’s a pragmatic but controversial tactic, as it lets them escape justice.
Each case depends on the dictator’s personality, the country’s political system, and the resources available to the opposition. A common thread in success is coordination—whether it’s among citizens, elites, or international actors—and exploiting the regime’s weaknesses, like economic collapse or overreliance on repression.
The Objective Of Nonviolent Action
The objective of nonviolent action is to undermine those in power, while winning over the general population. The most resistant groups are those who benefit from and support a dictatorship, such as the police, the military, and various elites. As long as these groups continue their support, an oppressive regime can remain in control. But once the middle class and elites defect, and the military and police refuse to use force to suppress opposition, a dictator is finished.
How To Remove A Dictator In An Africa
Removing a dictator in an African context involves many of the same strategies as elsewhere, but the continent’s unique political, historical, and social dynamics often shape how these play out. Africa has seen its share of entrenched leaders—some ousted, others clinging to power—so there are plenty of examples to draw from. Here’s how it might look:
- Mass Mobilization and Protests: Peaceful uprisings have worked in Africa when they gain unstoppable momentum. In Sudan, Omar al-Bashir was toppled in 2019 after months of protests sparked by economic woes, with citizens and opposition groups uniting against him. The key was sustained pressure and the military eventually siding with the people. Urban centers and youth movements often drive this, though rural support can be harder to rally.
- Military Defection or Coup: Many African dictators rely heavily on the armed forces, so flipping the military is a game-changer. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe was ousted in 2017 via a “soft coup” when the military turned against him after decades of loyalty, prompted by internal party strife and public discontent. This often hinges on factionalism within the regime or personal grievances among generals.
- International and Regional Pressure: The African Union (AU) and regional bodies like ECOWAS can influence outcomes. In The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh was forced out in 2017 after losing an election, thanks to ECOWAS military threats and diplomatic arm-twisting backed by West African neighbors. Sanctions or oil embargoes—like those against apartheid South Africa—can also hurt, though they’re less effective if the dictator has allies like China or Russia.
- Armed Rebellion: When peaceful means fail, insurgencies can take over. In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi fell in 2011 after rebels, backed by NATO airstrikes, overran Tripoli. Similarly, Ethiopia’s Mengistu Haile Mariam was driven out in 1991 by a coalition of rebel groups. This route often exploits ethnic or regional divisions but risks long-term instability, as seen in post-Gaddafi Libya.
- Exile Deals: Negotiating a dictator’s exit has precedent in Africa too. Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now DRC) fled in 1997 as rebels closed in, ending up in Morocco. Offering a golden parachute—money or asylum—can work if the leader sees the writing on the wall, though it’s rare for them to trust such deals without massive pressure.
- Economic Collapse: Many African dictators survive by controlling resources like oil, diamonds, or foreign aid. Starving the regime of cash can force change. In Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos stepped down in 2017 amid an economic slump tied to falling oil prices, though his party held on. Opposition can amplify this by targeting corruption or smuggling networks.
Challenges specific to Africa include weak institutions, ethnic rivalries exploited by dictators, and external meddling (e.g., former colonial powers or resource-hungry nations). Success often depends on unifying diverse groups—tribes, religions, or classes—against a common enemy. For example, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni has clung to power since 1986 partly by mastering divide-and-rule tactics, making opposition cohesion tough.
Gene Sharpe Method- An Expert On Nonviolent Action
Gene Sharpe is widely regarded as an expert on nonviolent action. He was a valued advisor to Otpor!, the leaderless student group that used funny, entertaining actions to get rid of nasty Serbian dictator Svoboda Milosevic. Sharpe says that the forces of opposition must exert continuous pressure and employ a variety of tactics. Here is his list.
Formal statements
1. Public speeches
2. Letters of opposition or support
3. Declarations by organizations and institutions
4. Signed public statements
5. Declarations of indictment and intention
6. Group or mass petitions
Communications With A Wider Audience
7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols
8. Banners, posters, and displays
9. Leaflets, pamphlets, and books
10. Newspapers and journals
11. Social media, video sharing, podcasts, blogs, email,
12. Radio, and television
13. Rewriting the lyrics of popular songs
14. Sky-writing and earth-writing
Group Representations
15. Deputations
16. Mock awards
17. Group lobbying
18. Picketing
19. Flash mobs
20. Mock elections
Symbolic public acts
22. Display of flags and symbolic colours
23. Wearing of symbols
24. Prayer and worship
25. Delivering symbolic objects
26. Protest disrobings
27. Destruction of own property
28. Symbolic lights
29. Displays of portraits
30. Paint as protest
31. New signs and names
32. Symbolic sounds
33. Symbolic reclamations
34. Rude gestures
Pressures on individuals
35. ”Haunting” officials
36. Taunting officials
37. Creating an online Rogues Gallery
38. Fraternization
39. Vigils
Drama and music
40. Humorous skits and pranks
41. Performance of plays and music
42. Singing
Processions
43. Marches
44. Parades
45. Religious processions
46. Pilgrimages
47. Motorcades
Honouring the dead
48. Political mourning
49. Mock funerals
50. Demonstrative funerals
51. Homage at burial places
Public assemblies
52. Assemblies of protest or support
53. Protest meetings
54. Camouflaged meetings of protest
55. Teach-ins
Withdrawal and renunciation
56. Walk-outs
57. Silence
58. Renouncing honours
59. Turning one’s back
SOCIAL NONCOOPERATION
Ostracism of persons
60. Social boycott
61. Selective social boycott
62. Lysistratic non-action
63. Excommunication
64. Interdict
Noncooperation with social events, customs, and institutions
65. Suspension of social and sports activities
66. Boycott of social affairs
67. Student strike
68. Social disobedience
69. Withdrawal from social institutions
Withdrawal from the social system
70. Stay-at-home
71. Total personal noncooperation
72. Flight of workers
73. Sanctuary
74. Collective disappearance
75. Protest emigration (hijrat)
ECONOMIC NONCOOPERATION: (1) ECONOMIC BOYCOTTS
Action by consumers
76. Consumers’ boycott
77. Non-consumption of boycotted goods
78. Policy of austerity
79. Rent withholding
80. Refusal to rent
81. National consumers’ boycott
82. International consumers’ boycott
Action by workers and producers
83. Workmen’s boycott
84. Producers’ boycott
Action by middlemen
85. Suppliers’ and handlers’ boycott
Action by owners and management
86. Traders’ boycott
87. Refusal to let or sell property
88. Lockout
90. Refusal of industrial assistance
91. Merchants’ “general strike”
Action by holders of financial resources
92. Withdrawal of bank deposits
93. Refusal to pay fees, dues, and assessments
94. Refusal to pay debts or interest
95. Severance of funds and credit
96. Revenue refusal
97. Refusal of a government’s money
Action by governments
98. Domestic embargo
99. Blacklisting of traders
100. International sellers’ embargo
101. International buyers’ embargo
102. International trade embargo
ECONOMIC NONCOOPERATION: (2) THE STRIKE
Symbolic strikes
103. Protest strike
104. Quickie walkout (lightning strike)
Agricultural strikes
105. Peasant strike
106. Farm workers’ strike
Strikes by special groups
107. Refusal of impressed labor
108. Prisoners’ strike
109. Craft strike
110. Professional strike
Ordinary industrial strikes
111. Establishment strike
112. Industry strike
113. Sympathetic strike
Restricted strikes
114. Detailed strike
115. Bumper strike
116. Slowdown strike
117. Working-to-rule strike
118. Reporting “sick” (sick-in)
119. Strike by resignation
120. Limited strike
121. Selective strike
Multi-industry strikes
122. Generalized strike
123. General strike
Combinations of strikes and economic closures
124. Hartal
125. Economic shutdown
POLITICAL NONCOOPERATION
Rejection of authority
126. Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance
127. Refusal of public support
128. Literature and speeches advocating resistance
Citizens’ noncooperation with government
129. Boycott of legislative bodies
130. Boycott of elections
131. Boycott of government employment and positions
132. Boycott of government departments, agencies and other bodies
133. Withdrawal from government educational institutions
134. Boycott of government-supported organizations
135. Refusal of assistance to enforcement agents
136. Removal of own signs and placemarks
137. Refusal to accept appointed officials
138. Refusal to dissolve existing institutions
Citizens’ alternatives to obedience
139. Reluctant and slow compliance
140. Nonobedience in absence of direct supervision
141. Popular nonobedience
142. Disguised disobedience
143. Refusal of an assemblage or meeting to disperse
144. Sitdown
145. Noncooperation with conscription and deportation
146. Hiding, escape and false identities
147. Civil disobedience of “illegitimate” laws
Action by government personnel
148. Selective refusal of assistance by government aides
149. Blocking of lines of command and information
150. Stalling and obstruction
151. General administrative noncooperation
152. Judicial noncooperation
153. Deliberate inefficiency and selective noncooperation by enforcers
154. Mutiny
Domestic governmental action
155. Quasi-legal evasions and delays
156. Noncooperation by constituent governmental units
International governmental action
157. Changes in diplomatic and other representation
158. Delay and cancellation of diplomatic events
159. Withholding of diplomatic recognition
160. Severance of diplomatic relations
161. Withdrawal from international organizations
162. Refusal of membership in international bodies
163. Expulsion from international organizations
NONVIOLENT INTERVENTION
Psychological intervention
164. Self-exposure to the elements
165. The fast
166. Fast of moral pressure
167. Hunger strike
168. Satyagrahic fast
169. Reverse trial
170. Nonviolent harassment
Physical intervention
171. Sit-in
172. Stand-in
173. Ride-in
174. Wade-in
175. Mill-in
176. Pray-in
177. Nonviolent raids
178. Nonviolent air raids
179. Nonviolent invasion
180. Nonviolent interjection
181. Nonviolent obstruction
182. Nonviolent occupation
Social intervention
183. Establishing new social patterns
184. Overloading of facilities
185. Stall-in
186. Speak-in
187. Guerrilla theater
188. Alternative social institutions
189. Alternative communication system
Economic intervention
190. Reverse strike
191. Stay-in strike
192. Nonviolent land seizure
193. Defiance of blockades
194. Politically motivated counterfeiting
195. Preclusive purchasing
196. Seizure of assets
197. Dumping
198. Selective patronage
199. Alternative markets
200. Alternative transportation systems
201. Alternative economic institutions
Political intervention
202. Overloading of administrative systems
203. Disclosing identities of secret agents
204. Seeking imprisonment
205. Civil disobedience of “neutral” laws
206. Work-on without collaboration
207. Dual sovereignty and parallel government
See also Blueprint of Revolution,by Srdja Popovic, published in 2015 by Spiegel and Grau. Popovic was central figure in Otpor!; he is now the director of the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS).
Sources
See also Networked Campaigns
The Citizen’s Handbook / Home / Table of Contents
The Citizen’s Handbook / Charles Dobson / citizenshandbook.org
