Gorbachev believed his reforms would lead Eastern European nations to adopt "socialism with a human face" and view him as a liberator. He completely failed to grasp the depth of animosity after decades of occupation, ensuring these countries would reject Russia at the first opportunity.

The academic theory behind 'people-powered' civil resistance has military origins. Seminal research by figures like Gene Sharp was directly funded with $50 million from the Pentagon's psychological operations unit to develop methods for bottom-up, state-sponsored coups under the guise of grassroots movements.

Widespread suffering alone doesn't trigger a revolution. Historically, successful uprisings require a politically savvy, well-organized group with a clear agenda and influential leadership. Disparate and unorganized populations, no matter how desperate, tend to see their energy dissipate without causing systemic change.

Society hasn't processed the collective trauma of events like the pandemic, leading to widespread emotional dysregulation that prevents clear thinking. To move forward, groups must first feel and acknowledge the fear and grief, rather than just intellectualizing the problems.

After initial violent crackdowns backfired by inflaming crowds, the Georgian government adopted a strategy of covert repression. It now uses the legal system—banning face coverings, imposing huge fines, and making targeted arrests—to methodically dismantle the year-long protest movement without the international backlash caused by overt street violence.

Soviet leaders who lived through WWII understood the unpredictability of direct conflict and preferred proxy wars. Vladimir Putin, in contrast, has consistently used direct "hot wars"—from Chechnya to Georgia to Ukraine—as a primary tool to consolidate power and boost his domestic popularity.

The inability for young people to afford assets like housing creates massive inequality and fear. This economic desperation makes them susceptible to populist leaders who redirect their anger towards political opponents, ultimately sparking violence.

The West reluctantly included human rights provisions in the Helsinki Accords, believing them unenforceable. However, dissidents across the Eastern Bloc weaponized these clauses to hold communist regimes accountable, undermining their legitimacy from within and contributing to their collapse.

Socialism's top-down control ignores market incentives, leading to predictable failure (e.g., rent control causing building decay). When people protest these failures, proponents who believe they "know better" must resort to coercion and violence to silence dissent and maintain power, rather than admit their model is flawed.