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60-709: " People power " is a political term. People power or People Power may refer to: People power This method is reliant on popular participation “civilian-based” and therefore does not include isolated acts or protest without an overarching organisation by a group of people. People power can be manifested as a small-scale protest or campaign for neighborhood change; or as wide-ranging, revolutionary action involving national street demonstrations , work stoppages and general strikes intending to overthrow an existing government and/or political system. With regards to tactics employed by People Power movements, both nonviolence and violence have been used throughout history: as

120-553: A Cold War context, Marcos retained the support of the United States through Marcos's promise to stamp out communism in the Philippines and by assuring the United States of its continued use of military and naval bases in the Philippines. On November 27, 1977, a military tribunal sentenced Aquino and two co-accused, NPA leaders Bernabe Buscayno (Commander Dante) and Lt. Victor Corpuz, to death by firing squad. In 1978, while still

180-501: A candidate in case of contingencies or any sudden announcements of changes. It was then on November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government, that Marcos suddenly announced a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule, to legitimize his control over the country. The snap election was legalized with the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg. 883 (National Law No. 883) by

240-496: A friend of Ninoy Aquino, did not agree with this choice and wanted to run against Aquino and Marcos. UNIDO overwhelmed Laurel's vote and encouraged him to become Cory Aquino's vice-president instead. Once Cory Aquino became the main candidate, Laurel eventually ran as Cory Aquino's running mate for vice-president under the United Opposition (UNIDO) party. Marcos ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentino as his running mate under

300-517: A future senator in Teofisto Guingona Jr. , and a technocrat who once served as Marcos's executive secretary named Rafael Salas . After the vetting of nominees, as men such as Sen. Diokno vehemently opposed to run for president, the remaining potential candidates who openly wished to earn the opposition's nomination were Salonga, Laurel, and Estrada-Kalaw. United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) members Estrada-Kalaw and Laurel were

360-430: A goal unassociated with a political ideology, or incoherent movements with no end goal at all, are considered excluded from people power. With regards to the numerous strategies carried out by people power activists, movements of this kind may involve violence and pacifism . Academic scholars recognise that because people power movements operate with the end goal of changing the existing political structure, if violence

420-576: A passport in Washington and New York, Ninoy got two passports with the help of Rashid Lucman  – one bearing his real name, and the other with the alias Marcial Bonifacio . On August 21, 1983, after three years, Aquino was murdered by the military, as he disembarked from a China Airlines plane at Manila International Airport (later renamed in Aquino's honor). His assassination shocked and outraged most Filipinos, who had lost confidence in

480-689: A short term change to the political structure. Additionally, people power is controversial for producing unintended, or in some cases counterproductive, consequences in the political situation of a state. Military and autocratic governments “may be able mobilise their full forces of repression to quell for a time even the bravest resistance”, as seen in the example of Burma. People Power Revolution [REDACTED] Opposition Political parties: Military defectors: Others: Religious groups: Militant groups: [REDACTED] Government Military loyalists: Government parties: Others: [REDACTED] Corazon Aquino (Leader of

540-456: Is a list of commonalities between the social movements of people power and people's war: The methodology of people power has been criticised from both academic and non-scholarly fields. Firstly, given the movement’s grassroots origins, people power has been criticised for excluding elite individuals such as academics from engaging in social movements. This consequently alienates individuals who potentially hold expert knowledge and experience from

600-424: Is a list of strategies that would be exemplary of people power movements. April Carter , leading scholar on grassroots action and peace studies, identifies three advantages with the strategies of people power protests: It reflects how those engaged in strikes, demonstrations and occupation of key buildings, and facing down armed security forces, see themselves: the people rising against oppressive rulers; it links

660-443: Is not one specific method of planning or coordination necessary for a people power movement: so long as the tactics employed reflect a sustained effort from a “grassroots populace”. In terms of examples of different tactics employed, a wide range of strategies of protest and persuasion have been used. Strategies used by people power activists often engage the wider population so as to maximise participation and general engagement. Below

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720-559: Is the EDSA Revolution in the Philippines of 1986 , which although was intended to be a peaceful revolution, actually adopted violent tactics.  Historically, when compared to violent campaigns, more cases of non-violent people power movements have succeeded in achieving their political goals as they gain wider resonance with audiences outside the movement. The level of organisation of people power movements varies from “relatively spontaneous…to pre-planned and highly coordinated”. There

780-497: Is to be used it will be “pragmatic or strategic” rather than principled non-violence. Pragmatic non-violence can include “non-physical pressures” or other measures to “undermine the opponents power”. As such, the category of people power cannot be applied to protests which are ends in themselves to exclusively promote a nonviolent philosophy. Rather, people power will use violent or nonviolent strategies — or both — to achieve desired outcomes with specific political goals. A case in point

840-521: Is widely regarded as a successful people power campaign, as the dictatorial president fled the country on 14 January after widespread demonstrations. This contemporary example also served as a major inspiration for the Arab Spring revolution. Often regarded as a violent example of a people power movement, the Libyan Civil War took place between the 15th of February and 23 October in 2011. The goal of

900-631: The Philippines , mostly in Metro Manila , from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. The nonviolent revolution led to the departure of Ferdinand Marcos , the end of his 20-year dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the Philippines. It is also referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during demonstrations (in reference to

960-568: The Tony Orlando and Dawn song " Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree ") as a symbol of protest following the assassination of Filipino senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in August 1983 upon his return to the Philippines from exile. It was widely seen as a victory of the people against two decades of presidential rule by President Marcos, and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised

1020-896: The USSR’s satellite states. Grassroots measures included, but is not limited to, the Solidarity movement in Poland and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia . These movements established the foundations for the Revolutions of 1989 , which saw a wider change in the sociopolitical structure of Eastern Europe. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November successfully dismantled the Soviet Union and dissolved of

1080-404: The civil unrest that arose after the 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis as a justification for the proclamation . Through this decree and through a controversial referendum in which citizen assemblies voted through a show of hands , Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the Philippines' military and the authority to suppress and abolish the freedom of speech ,

1140-616: The discontent of the governed . The earliest origins of people power protests are often identified as in “the third world, across at the second half of the twentieth century”. The socio-political and economic circumstances of this period popularised grassroots movements in the Third World . These circumstances include: a general trend in growing attention to human rights across the globe; advancements in communication technologies which allowed for dissemination of revolutionary ideas and organisational capabilities; minimal censorship of citizens by

1200-498: The eleventh President of the Philippines . Senate President Ferdinand Marcos was elected president in 1965 , defeating incumbent President Diosdado Macapagal by a margin of 52 to 43 percent. During this time, Marcos was very active in the initiation of public works projects and the intensification of tax collections. Marcos and his government claimed that they "built more roads than all his predecessors combined and more schools than any previous administration". Amidst charges from

1260-576: The freedom of the press , and many other civil liberties . President Marcos also dissolved the Philippine Congress and shut down media establishments critical of the Marcos Administration. He also ordered the immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics. Among those arrested were Senate President Jovito Salonga , and the leaders Senator Jose W. Diokno and Senator Ninoy Aquino — whom Marcos sent to Laur, Nueva Ecija — and

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1320-554: The 1973 plebiscite through the simple counting of hands raised by children and adults that involved questions such as the option for more rice in lieu of constitutional affirmation. With practically all of his political opponents arrested, out of office, and in exile, President Marcos's pre-emptive declaration of martial law in 1972 and the ratification of his new constitution by more than 95% of voters enabled Marcos to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to power for another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. In

1380-606: The Gaddafi government responded with the employment of warplanes, artillery, warplanes, and helicopter gunships. The movement ended when the National Transitional Council (NTC) was established as the legal representative of Libya and replaced the Gaddafi government, and the subsequent death of Muammar Gaddafi. The extent to which the Libyan Civil War is considered a success is debated — although Gaddafi’s government

1440-614: The JAJA coalition, as a means to unite the businessmen, communists, and other groups. Most of the KOMPIL members were led by the AMA leaders. Meanwhile, Diokno, Lorenzo M. Tañada of MABINI, Butz and Corazon Aquino, and a few others were elected the overall presiding leaders in a search to find the opposition candidate. The main issue was whether to accept the CAMEL or Call for Meaningful Elections or, as Diokno and

1500-602: The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party. Thus within a matter of only a few weeks the candidates were fixed and the campaign period was set for the 1986 snap election. The election was held on February 7, 1986. The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared that Marcos was the winner. The final tally of the COMELEC had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. On

1560-562: The Marcos family's first term in the 1960s, the Philippines was left vulnerable when the US economy went into recession in the third quarter of 1981, forcing the Reagan administration to increase interest rates. The Philippine government plunged further into debt and the economy began going into decline in 1981, continuing to do so by the time of the Benigno Aquino Jr. assassination in 1983. By

1620-527: The Marcos-controlled unicameral congress called the Regular Batasang Pambansa . To select a leader, the convenor's group of opposition leaders formed underlying principles. These principles, mainly proposed and edited by Diokno, discussed matters that involved anti-foreign domination in the economy, especially American intervention and military bases. After the principles were agreed upon by

1680-563: The Marcoses. The event led to more suspicions about the government, triggering non-cooperation among Filipinos that eventually led to outright civil disobedience . It also shook the Marcos Administration, which was by then deteriorating due in part to Marcos's blatant illness (turned out to be the fatal lupus erythematosus ). In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, first led by Chief Justice Enrique Fernando and later Corazon Agrava , to launch an investigation into Aquino's assassination. Despite

1740-543: The Opposition) [REDACTED] Ferdinand Marcos ( President of the Philippines ) Events/Artifacts (north to south) Events/Artifacts Artifacts Presidency Family Unexplained wealth Legacy Related [REDACTED] The People Power Revolution , also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution , were a series of popular demonstrations in

1800-618: The Philippines President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal , the Archbishop of Cebu . It is rightfully remembered as a “ Rosary miracle ” in the peaceful victory. The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition after years of governance by President Marcos and his cronies , ended with the ruler, his family, and some of their supporters fleeing to exile in Hawaii ; and Ninoy Aquino 's widow, Corazon Aquino , inaugurated as

1860-581: The Soviet Bloc, subsequently allowing for the creation of individual, democratic state governments. Maldivian people power campaigns toward incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) took place between 2004 and 2008. Protests were direct at President Abdul Gayoom’s autocratic rule, which involved immense internal human rights abuses such as arbitrary arrests, torture, politically motivated killings. The movement

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1920-480: The United States. In 1972, the Moro National Liberation Front , a militant Muslim separatist group, formed in the southern island of Mindanao . Marcos soon used the rise of militant and civil unrest as justification for declaring martial law. Barred from running for a third term as president in 1973, Marcos announced Proclamation No. 1081 on September 23, 1972, declaring martial law , using

1980-551: The campaign. In 1980, Ninoy Aquino suffered a heart attack, and was compassionately released from prison to undergo a heart bypass surgery in the United States. Aquino stayed with his wife Corazon, and children in Boston College as a fellow for numerous American universities such as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Because the Marcos administration's spending had relied so heavily on debt since

2040-469: The coalitions tended to pursue Diokno's philosophy of pressure politics or mass actions to influence and sway the Marcos dictatorship. Parliamentarians of the streets, as they were called, applied pressure politics, and soon other coalitions were formed, culminating in the first call for elections for the opposition in the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino or KOMPIL. KOMPIL was organized by Aquino's ATOM from

2100-461: The commission's conclusions, Cardinal Jaime Sin , the Archbishop of Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and rejected the government's views on the assassination. This began a period of coalitions, first led by the nationalist liberal democrats under Jose W. Diokno called Kilusan sa Kapangyarihan at Karapatan ng Bayan or KAAKBAY , an umbrella organization founded in 1983, which headed

2160-416: The dictatorial rule of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali . The people power movement started in 2010 when civilian Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in response to being arrested and harassed by local authorities. This people power campaign was largely based on bottom-up protests such street demonstrations, and was organised on online media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The Tunisian Revolution

2220-517: The end of that year, the economy contracted by 6.8%. The economic and political instability combined to produce the worst recession in Philippine history in 1984 and 1985, with the economy contracting by 7.3% for two successive years. Despite threats from First Lady Imelda Marcos , Ninoy Aquino was determined to return home, saying that "the Filipino is worth dying for". After failing to apply for

2280-519: The first grand liberal coalition called JAJA, or the Justice for Aquino, Justice for All movement. JAJA consisted of organizations such as the social democrat -based August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) led by Butz Aquino , KAAKBAY, MABINI, the Makati-based Alliance of Makati Associations or AMA, and others. This was before the division of the center-left and national democratic /Marxist left, when

2340-613: The goals of the movement, signified by the fall of the Marcos’ dictatorship and his subsequent exile to Hawaii in 1986. In his place, the revolutionary government led by Corazon Aquino was installed, electing Aquino as the eleventh president of The Philippines. Also known as the 8888 Uprising , this movement aimed to overthrow the military and totalitarian regime of General Ne Win of the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). The Burmese movement had roots not only within

2400-523: The government; among others. A specifically renowned instantiation of people power is the ‘ flower power ’ movement of the 1960s, which was organised in opposition to the Vietnam War . The general academic consensus is that people power movements are executed with the goal of changing the existing political structure in a given country, and in most cases, installing a democratic political system. As such, social movements or acts of protest which either have

2460-542: The idea of resistance to the idea of democracy, which is the goal of the mass protests; it suggests the central strategy (conscious or intuitive) behind such peaceful revolts: that rulers can be toppled when the ruled refuse to obey them any longer. Also known as the EDSA revolution , this instance of people power was a series of demonstrations which took place in Manila between February 22 and 25 1986. Protesters expressed contempt toward

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2520-600: The increasing disparity of wealth between the very wealthy and the very poor that made up the majority of the Philippines' population led to a rise in crime and civil unrest around the country. In March 1969, the New People's Army (NPA) was formed as the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines , initiating the still-ongoing CPP–NPA–NDF rebellion. Marcos quickly denounced the movement, hoping to gain monetary and political support from anti-Communist administrators in

2580-399: The incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos after allegations of widespread corruption and persisting internal issues — including a prevalent economic disparity and a worsening recession. The ESDA’s revolution had the ultimate goal of overthrowing the Marcos dictatorship and replacing it with a new political structure. Ultimately, this example of people power is regarded as a success in achieving

2640-472: The last opposition leader yet to be released from prison at Fort Bonifacio, Aquino founded his political party , Lakas ng Bayan (abbreviated "LABAN"; English: People's Power ) to run for office in the Interim Batasang Pambansa (Parliament). All LABAN candidates lost, including Aquino himself. He appeared in a television interview with Ronnie Nathanielsz to freely criticize the regime during

2700-561: The man who was groomed by the opposition to succeed President Marcos after the 1973 elections. A constitutional convention , which had been called for in 1970 to replace the Commonwealth-era 1935 Constitution , continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of martial law. The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of government from presidential to parliamentary and allowing President Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973. The constitution

2760-530: The more liberal JAJA members preferred, to boycott the event which might be another fixed election. JAJA was later replaced by the Coalition of Organizations for the Restoration of Democracy (CORD) in the middle of 1984, which retained most of JAJA's features and membership. A year later CORD was replaced by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or BAYAN, which was to be a platform for Diokno should he run for president, and

2820-600: The movement did encourage international action in the form of economic and diplomatic sanctions, the United Nations has made recent declarations that the country still suffers internal political corruption, reporting recent elections as fraudulent. The dissolution of the Soviet Bloc during the end of the Cold War is also recognised as a people power as it was a culmination of growing disappointment with communist leadership in

2880-552: The movement was to overthrow Islamic modernist Muammar Gaddafi’s government, which was notorious for a systemic violation of human rights in Libya. This case of people power represents a relatively violent transfer of power — the International Criminal Court estimated that nearly 10,000 casualties occurred during this event. Rebel forces partook in street protests which contributed to massive general public damage, to which

2940-431: The only two not to sign the declaration of unity or the underlying principles. Eventually Estrada-Kalaw withdrew after being overwhelmed by the multiple candidates in the selection process and campaigned to become the vice-presidential candidate. Between 64 year old Salonga, who with 64 year old Estrada-Kalaw represented the two largest Liberal Party factions, and Laurel, who was son of former president Jose P. Laurel , it

3000-566: The opposition leaders, as Lorenzo M. Tañada quipped, it became almost automatic and completely expeditious in agreeing unanimously on one candidate to face Marcos. For the initial step in nominating a candidate, the selection process started out with a pooled list among the opposition leaders themselves. The list of candidates for president were mostly including former senators: Jose W. Diokno, Butz Aquino, Jovito Salonga , Eva Estrada-Kalaw , Salvador "Doy" Laurel , Ambrosio Padilla , Aquilino Pimentel , Raul Manglapus , and Ramon Mitra , as well as

3060-480: The opposition party of vote-buying and a fraudulent election, President Marcos was reelected in the 1969 Philippine presidential election , this time defeating Sergio Osmeña Jr. by 61 to 39 percent. President Marcos's second term for the presidency was marred by allegations by the opposition Liberal Party of widespread graft and corruption. According to leftists who rioted during the First Quarter Storm ,

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3120-406: The organisation and execution of social movements. As a result, people power movements can reflect an “arrogance, or sheer inefficiency”. Furthermore, people power methods are controversial in terms of their ability to sustain success. Historically, there is no guarantee that engaging in these movements will secure “permanent radical change”. This was the case of The Maldives which resulted in only

3180-406: The student, but also the religious populace: the campaign was led by students, monks and nuns. These activists were met with heavy government repression, in which there was over 3,000 casualties in demonstrations. Overall, Burma’s people power movement was unsuccessful as the campaign was suppressed by the military regime, without resulting in a democratic change to the political structure. Although

3240-430: The world". The majority of the demonstrations took place on a long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue , more commonly known by its acronym EDSA , in Metro Manila from February 22 to 25, 1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin , the Archbishop of Manila , along with Catholic Bishops' Conference of

3300-493: Was approved by 95% of the voters in the Philippine constitutional plebiscite . The constitution was part of the landmark Javellana v. Executive Secretary case (G.R. No. 36142) that led to the resignation of Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion . Part of the plot of the regime involved legitimizing the military rule through the new constitution providing legislative and executive powers to the president. Simultaneously Marcos conducted

3360-520: Was decided by men such as Chino Roces that both candidates might lack the popularity needed to win. This was because Salonga had spent much time in exile in the United States while Laurel, the founder and main head of UNIDO, was deemed "too lightweight". UNIDO and the other coalitions agreed to choose Aquino's wife Cory Aquino instead of Doy Laurel or Estrada-Kalaw and began the Cory Aquino for President Movement or CAPM, led by Roces, et al. Only Laurel,

3420-489: Was led by Tañada and student leader Lean Alejandro of the University of the Philippines . However the socialists/national democrats took control of the coalition so Diokno, Ambrosio Padilla , and the liberal democrats as well as Butz Aquino, ATOM, and the social democrats left BAYAN to the present national democratic coalition that it has become in the 21st century. Eventually the top leaders decided to convene to select

3480-579: Was replaced, a second civil war was started in Libya after Gaddafi loyalists refused to cooperate with the new government. People power is often associated with the people's war , which is a social movement with the more specific purpose of “confrontation until they have acquired the military strength to seize control of the state, or it disintegrates from within”. The main difference is that whereas people power seeks to dissolve autocratic and repressive regimes, people’s war refers to guerrilla conflict with ideological motives, such as an insurrection. Below

3540-476: Was successful: Gayoom was voted out in the 2008 election. He reentered the political sphere in 2012 as people power opposition began to diminish. Therefore this movement is considered a failure in that it didn’t lead to a sustained change in the political structure of The Maldives. The Tunisian Revolution catalysed when labour unions voiced dissatisfaction with internal economic issues, corruption, lack of political freedoms and poor living conditions brought on by

3600-523: Was the case in the non-violent 1986 People Power Revolution which overthrew the Marcos régime, or the violent uprising in Libya in 2011 . People power movements rely on popular participation and are therefore supported by civilians, as opposed to a governmental organisation or military wing. For this reason, academics and historians often consider the grassroots nature of people power movements, as they express

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