Introduction
Social movements of the past can teach us how to shape the future. Drawing from decades of experience in social movements, the guide will equip you with the essential tools and strategies to shift public opinion, change laws and decisions, and elect new leaders. Resistance Guide is an essential road map for anyone who wants to understand how movements succeed and how we can use this knowledge to fight for a better America.
In this guide, we break down the basics of civil resistance in four sections that will help you work strategically and sustain yourself to win.
- The Introduction is about theory, strategy and vision.
The resistance must say goodbye to the traditional politics of compromise in favor of a movement strategy that will change the political weather and apply pressure where it is most effective.
- Chapter One explains the importance of social movements. Elected leaders are important—but people power is more important to achieve transformative change over time.
- Chapter Two explores how protest movements work, especially how they turn popular support into the active participation needed to win.
- Chapter Three digs deep into three different but complementary types of resistance. We call these the game change, the inside game and the outside game.
- Chapter Four gives you the tools you need to resist together, by finding a training and finding a group, or forming a group of your own. It also suggests a minimum individual commitment needed to sustain this movement.
We’ve included multiple sidebars illustrating the successes and challenges of social movements from history and recent events. And we’ve included links to additional resources—including contact information for many groups that have already begun organizing to resist the Trump administration and promote a broader vision of social justice.
Contents
- PREFACE – 5
- Trump is the president. Republicans run our government. How do we fight back?
- This is a winnable fight
- Who we are
- The study of civil resistance gives us answers
- What you can expect from the Resistance Guide
- INTRODUCTION: BEYOND THE STATUS QUO – 11
- Hope versus despair, or the view from the crossroads
- Beyond compromise — movement
- Beyond town halls — the Tea Party’s movement strategy
- Beyond Indivisible — a comprehensive strategy
- Beyond resistance — creating transformative change together
- CHAPTER ONE: THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS – 19
- The history of social movements teaches us that Trump can be stopped
- If the people lead, the leaders will follow
- Putting our faith in politicians makes us forget the importance of our own power
- We must believe in the power of movements or we will continue to lose
- CHAPTER TWO: HOW DO MOVEMENTS WORK? – 25
- When enough people join in, social movements become unstoppable
- Winning support means reaching people where they’re at—and moving them
- Protest creates polarization
- How protest polarizes
- Not everyone has to like us
- The importance of active popular support
- Keep showing up
- Change the political weather
- CHAPTER THREE: MULTIPLE TYPES OF RESISTANCE: GAME CHANGE, OUTSIDE GAME AND INSIDE GAME – 39
- Type I: Game Change
- The movement can create game change from outside events
- Small actions can build towards game change
- Type II: The Outside Game
- You have more power than you know
- Type III: The Inside Game
- What’s so corrupt about the Democratic Party?
- Racism has left Democrats off balance
- Corruption is at the heart of Democratic losses
- A fighting movement party will win elections
- What is a movement candidate?
- Game change, inside game, and outside game: we need it all
- CHAPTER FOUR: RESIST TOGETHER – 59
- Key Practices to Sustain the Movement
- Small groups are better than big lists
- Between mass marches and sustained participation: the missing link
- Finding or forming your group
- Don’t reinvent the wheel
- Meeting formats
- EPILOGUE – 67
- Affiliate with the Resistance Guide
- Resources
- Further reading
- Active Groups
Access Resource
Resistance Guide: How to Sustain the Movement to Win