Hope In The Dark: The Untold History of People Power

Free trade is a staple of unchecked capitalism as it constitutes the trade of resources for money without tariffs and quotas. While free trade typically widens the profit margins of wealthy countries and corporations, local producers in poorer countries often see their incomes and standard of living fall.

Solnit is especially critical of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which came into effect in the 1990s and “was an economic death sentence for hundreds of thousands of small-scale Mexican farmers and, with them, something of rural and traditional life” (40). Grassroots movements such as the Zapatistas sought to oppose the greatest injustices of free trade and its cousin, neoliberalism.

Solnit often describes campaigns made up of ordinary people rather than political associations as “grassroots”—for example, that of the Zapatistas. She’s confident that instead of waiting for politicians to deliver hope, grassroots campaigns mobilize the populace and thus deliver hope from the outset. Grassroots campaigns give power to ordinary people and allow their voices to be heard rather than being drowned out by those of charismatic leaders. In addition, Solnit maintains that most impetus for social change begins at the grassroots level and from there makes its way into the center and affects politicians.

Neoliberalism is an ideology that emphasizes the values of free trade and unchecked, free market capitalism. Cultural and political commentator George Monbiot defines neoliberalism as a philosophy in which competition defines human relations, casting citizens as consumers and democratic values in terms of market values. This cold-hearted policy model values profit only on the part of the most competitive and overlooks the well-being of the many. Neoliberalism was especially prominent in US trade interactions with South America, which Solnit defines as “neoliberalism’s greatest laboratory” (9). Activists for human and environmental rights often protest neoliberalism given its concentration of power and resources in few hands.

Nonviolent Direct Action is the kind of activism that Solnit champions in her book. It involves campaigns and demonstrations, rather than violence, to bring about social change. This approach contrasts with the bloody revolutions of history, such as the French Revolution of 1789 or even the violent revolutionary actions of cult Cuban liberator Che Guevara (1928-1967). Both these examples incorporated macho behaviors that echoed those of the establishment that they were challenging. In contrast, a famous promoter of nonviolent direct action is Martin Luther King, who organized a Black civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s that applied methods like sit-ins and bus boycotts as well as powerful oratory. Solnit argues that while the violence “commanded by governments and militaries often fails […] non-violent direct-action campaigns often succeed,” (Location 280), both in achieving their ends and in the moment, as they model a new way of being in the world that is infinitely better than the often destructive and exploitative behavior of the existing powers.