Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> On Aug 6, 2008, at 1:46 PM, Marvin Gandall wrote:
>
> > the support of the majority has
> > been required by all successful revolutionary, national liberation,
> > and
> > reform movements
>
> Has it really? And what do you mean by "support"? I'm guessing that
> even in revolutionary situations, much - maybe most - of the pop is
> just standing aside trying to get by. Revos would have a hard time
> surviving the intense opposition of the majority, but silent assent is
> all you need.
As far as I know, this was true in the Cuban, Chinese, & Vietnamese revolutions; it was certainly true in the English, French, American, & russian revolutions. You get a pretty good sense of such silent (or even grudging) assent in William Hinton's _Fanshen_. And in any case, _most_ of the active support and almost all the passive support was gained during the revolutionary process. Consider the c hanged vote between the First & Second Soviet Congresees.
Carrol