From Dictatorship to Democracy

“From Dictatorship to Democracy” was written at the request of Tin Maung Win (now deceased), a prominent exile Burmese democrat who was then editor of “Khit Pyaing” (The New Era Journal).
It was originally published in installments in “Khit Pyaing” in Burmese and English in Bangkok, Thailand in 1993 and afterwards as a booklet in both languages (1994) and in Burmese again (1996 and 1997). The original booklet editions from Bangkok were issued with the assistance of the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Burma. It was circulated both surreptitiously inside Burma and among exiles and sympathizers elsewhere.
The preparation of this text was based on over forty years of research and writing on nonviolent struggle, dictatorships, totalitarian systems, resistance movements, political theory, and other topics. Also, I had the assistance of Bruce Jenkins in the preparation of this analysis. This still took four months full time. It was intended only for use by Burmese democrats and various ethnic groups in Burma that wanted independence from the Burman-dominated central government in Rangoon. (Burmans are the dominant ethnic group in Burma.)
I could not write an analysis that had a focus only on Burma, as I did not know Burma well. Therefore, I had to write it as a generic analysis. This decision to make the analysis generic was at the time solely based on my limited knowledge of Burma.
I did not then envisage that the generic focus would make the analysis potentially relevant in any country with an authoritarian or dictatorial government. However, that appears to have been the perception by people in who in recent years have sought to translate and distribute it in their languages for their countries.
The SLORC military dictatorship in Rangoon wasted no time in denouncing this publication. Heavy attacks were made in 1995 and 1996, and reportedly continued in later years in newspapers, radio, and television. The Albert Einstein Institution prepared documentary accounts of these attacks during those years. As late as 2005 persons were imprisoned for seven years sentences merely for having possession of the banned publication.
Although no efforts were made to promote the publication for use in other countries, the publication began to spread on its own. A copy of the English language edition was seen on display in the window of a bookstore in Bangkok by a student from Indonesia, was purchased, and taken back home. There, it was translated into Indonesian, and published in 1997 by a major Indonesian publisher with an introduction by Abdurrahman Wahid, then head of Nadhlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in the world with thirty -five million members, and later President of Indonesia.
“From Dictatorship to Democracy” is a heavy analysis and is not easy reading. Yet it has been deemed to be important enough for twenty-seven translations although they required major work and expense.
The Albert Einstein Institution is a non-profit organization that specializes in the study of the methods of non-violent resistance in conflicts and to explore its policy potential and communicate these findings through print and other media, translations, conferences, consultations, and workshops. The institution’s founder and senior scholar, Gene Sharp, is known for his writings on strategic nonviolent struggle. Named after the physicist Albert Einstein, the institution “is committed to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through the use of nonviolent action.”
To further this mission, the Institution has supported research projects; actively consulted with resistance and pro-democracy groups from Burma, Thailand, Egypt, Tibet, Serbia, Equatorial Guinea, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and elsewhere; and worked to publicize the power and potential of nonviolent struggle around the world through educational materials, scholarly writings, workshops, and the media.

### Review

"'Gene Sharp has written a book that must be read. It is scholarly, readable and highly relevant at a time when so many people are challenging the dictatorships under which they live. With his long historical understanding he offers really useful advice to people who are engaged on the same task today' (Tony Benn)"

### Review

"'Gene Sharp has written a book that must be read. It is scholarly, readable and highly relevant at a time when so many people are challenging the dictatorships under which they live. With his long historical understanding he offers really useful advice to people who are engaged on the same task today' (Tony Benn)"