The First Charter of Human Rights, By The Persian Emperor
Kourosh The Great Over 2700 Years Ago

"Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely"

From Dictatorship to Democracy

From Dictatorship to Democracy
(Farsi / Persian Translation)

Author: Dr. Gene Sharp

Published: January 2004

Please note that although we have completed the translation of the text of From Dictatorship to Democracy into Farsi, we have not yet completed translation of the appendix. We will complete this as soon as possible. In the mean time, we have released an incomplete translation of the appendix. You can download the appendix to From Dictatorship to Democracy here

Contents: FROM CHAPTER 1...

In recent years various dictatorships -- of both internal and external origin -- have collapsed or stumbled when confronted by defiant, mobilized people. Often seen as firmly entrenched and impregnable, some of these dictatorships proved unable to withstand the concerted political, economic, and social defiance of the people.

Since 1980 dictatorships have collapsed before the predominantly nonviolent defiance of people in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Slovenia, Madagascar, Mali, Bolivia, and the Philippines. Nonviolent resistance has furthered the movement toward democratization in Nepal, Zambia, South Korea, Chile, Argentina, Haiti, Brazil, Uruguay, Malawi, Thailand, Bulgaria, Hungary, Zaire, Nigeria, and various parts of the former Soviet Union (playing a significant role in the defeat of the August 1991 attempted hard-line coup d'état).

In addition, mass political defiance has occurred in China, Burma, and Tibet in recent years. Although those struggles have not brought an end to the ruling dictatorships or occupations, they have exposed the brutal nature of those repressive regimes to the world community and have provided the populations with valuable experience with this form of struggle.

The collapse of dictatorships in the above named countries certainly has not erased all other problems in those societies: poverty, crime, bureaucratic inefficiency, and environmental destruction are often the legacy of brutal regimes. However, the downfall of these dictatorships has minimally lifted much of the suffering of the victims of oppression, and has opened the way for the rebuilding of these societies with greater political democracy, personal liberties, and social justice.

You may download the Farsi / Persian Translation, or the English version of the From Dictatorship to Democracy free of charge.

Download -- From Dictatorship to Democracy -- Farsi / Persian

Download -- From Dictatorship to Democracy -- English

Must also read the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

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