The notion that power is derived from the obedience and cooperation of the “ruled” highlights 💥the strategic importance of pulling key elements of that population
— “pillars of support”
— away from an autocratic system and towards a democratic one.

#PillarsOfSupport are organizations and institutions that provide any social or political system with
– the legitimacy, knowledge, skills, financial resources, and coercive power they need to maintain control.

One can think of pillars
— political parties, businesses, religious organizations, unions, professional associations, bureaucracies, educational institutions, media outlets, cultural institutions, security forces and more
— as columns holding up a Greek temple.

When shifts occur within these pillars, and they start to crack, they can bring the entire edifice down.

In the case of former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement’s control of the GOP, the loss of key institutional support for that movement would significantly weaken it.

At the same time, pillars are not monolithic, and power within them is fluid.
They are made up of individuals who have different identities, motivations, and interests:
blue-collar workers, bureaucrats, journalists, teachers, financiers, pastors, soldiers, police officers, etc.

They also have unique leverage.
As the late sociologist Gene Sharp wrote in the book-length essay “From Dictatorship to Democracy”:
“By themselves, rulers cannot collect taxes, enforce repressive laws and regulations, keep trains running on time, prepare national budgets, direct traffic, manage ports, print money, repair roads, train the police and army, issue postage stamps or even milk a cow.”

In other words, without the skills, knowledge, and backing of individuals within key pillars, no autocratic leader, no matter how repressive or mendacious, can maintain power.
https://www.justsecurity.org/103575/elections-defending-democracy-global-pillars/