History PlayingWith / TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized

* '''Zig Zagged''': Given that the revolution happened hundreds of years ago, it's hard to tell what really happened. Some say the revolution was peaceful and lead to a period of prosperity, other say that the rebels were decent people even if they did deal out harsh justice to the worst of the offenders, others says the revolution was a bloodbath and the new regime was cruel and oppressive.

* '''Conversed''': "The day that made me [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave the Liberation Front and flee the country]] [[ShellShockedVeteran is still burned into my nightmares]]. We had captured a loyalist town that we suspected had been feeding information to the Empire about revolutionary activities in the area, and we needed to know what they had been telling them. No one would talk. So we marched a crowd of people to the town square, picked half a dozen people at random, and [[ManOnFire necklaced them]] in front of the crowd and forced them to watch. Then another half-dozen, and another, until people started talking. [[HeelRealization That was when I knew]] [[MotiveDecay that whatever we were fighting for didn't matter.]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters That we had become pure evil.]] I'll still remember the screams and the stench of burning rubber and flesh. Whatever better tomorrow we wanted to create would exist because of our evil, and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone I could not live in that world with the knowledge of what I had been a part of]]."
* '''Implied''':

** TheEmpire itself was formed from a revolution that was every bit as brutal as the autocratic state it is now.

** [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters The Liberation Front may commit evil, terroristic deeds]] but the Troperitanian Empire commits just as bad atrocities, hence the formation of the Liberation Front to begin with.

* '''Downplayed''': [
** [WellIntentionedExtremist The Liberation Front's Revolutionary Army]], while a bit tough when regarding captured enemies and local population, [[NobleDemon doesn't commit large-scale atrocities]].

* '''Downplayed''': [[WellIntentionedExtremist The Liberation Front's Revolutionary Army]], while a bit tough when regarding captured enemies and local population, [[NobleDemon doesn't commit large-scale atrocities]].

* [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters The Liberation Front may commit evil, terroristic deeds]] but the Troperitanian Empire commits just as bad atrocities, hence the formation of the Liberation Front to begin with.

** There is no revolution. The possible leaders of a revolt are discovered and taken care of before first shots are fired, and everything goes on as before.

** The Revolution becomes so brutal that it is worse than the Empire it is fighting against, and as such [[RootingForTheEmpire the civilian populace wholeheartedly support the latter]]. The atrocities of the Liberation Front cause Imperial soldiers [[RoaringRampageofRevenge to become fanatical]]; they're not just fighting because The Empire pays well, they're fighting to avenge the murder of loyalist civilians. The Revolution becomes so brutal that both The Empire and its civilian population fight against it with everything they have, causing it to fail. The Resistance itself gains an almost [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-like]] level of infamy, to the point where even millennia later "Resistance fighter" [[GodwinsLaw is a byword for evil]], and a mere thought of a rebellion becomes as unbearable to any decent person as, say, an urge to rape and murder someone.

* '''Straight''': Bob is a resistance fighter in [[LaResistance a Liberation Front-led revolution]] against the [[TheEmpire Imperial Empire of Troperitania]]. During the war, he watches some of his comrades commit war crimes.

** The Revolutionary Army is highly disciplined, so it does '''not''' commit any and all atrocities, and nor does any one.

** There is no revolution.

* '''Conversed''': "The day that made me leave the Liberation Front and flee the country is still burned into my nightmares. We had captured a loyalist town that we suspected had been feeding information to the Empire about revolutionary activities in the area, and we needed to know what they had been telling them. No one would talk. So we marched a crowd of people to the town square, picked people at random, and necklaced them in front of the crowd and forced them to watch until people started talking. That was when I knew that whatever we were fighting for didn't matter. That we had become pure evil. I'll still remember the screams and the stench of burning rubber and flesh. Whatever better tomorrow we wanted to create would exist because of our evil, and I could not live in that world with the knowledge of what I had been a part of."

** The story takes place after The Troperitania Uprising was suppressed, and follows a Troperitania Army Veteran named Bob as [[NaziHunter he hunts down former Liberation Front members so as to bring them to justice]]. When he catches one Liberation Front officer and recognizes the man, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown he beats the man to death]] [[AndThisIsFor while shouting the names of his loved ones]]. It's never stated in-story that Bob hunts rebels because the Liberation Front murdered his family, but [[WordOfGod the author later confirms that this is what happened]].

** The Revolution becomes so brutal that it is worse than the Empire it is fighting against, and as such [[RootingForTheEmpire the civilian populace wholeheartedly support the latter]]. The atrocities of the Liberation Front cause Imperial soldiers [[RoaringRampageofRevenge to become fanatical]]; they're not just fighting because The Empire pays well, they're fighting to avenge the murder of loyalist civilians. The Revolution becomes so brutal that both The Empire and its civilian population fight against it with everything they have, causing it to fail. The Resistance itself gains an almost [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-like]] level of infamy, to the point where even millennia later "Resistance fighter" [[GodwinsLaw is a byword for evil]].

** The RebelLeader is an HonorBeforeReason hero, and as such is utterly horrified by how brutal their subordinates are. They can't prosecute the rapists and the child-killers because attempts to do so are blocked by their more radical subordinates. Finally, in a last-ditch gamble to reign in his uprising, the RebelLeader surrenders to TheEmpire -- not out of a change of heart, but rather in an attempt to shame the rebellion into adopting less ruthless methods. It fails, and the very same radicals they were trying to shame instead either paint them as a coward and a traitor (at best) or falsely claim that they turned himself in in exchange for the false-promised release of rebel Prisoners Of War (using him as a Martyr [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to inspire even more atrocities]].)

** Even with its atrocities, the Liberation Front is still the lesser evil than The Empire. Most of the victims were the wealthy and prominent and as such have access to publicists who will cry for them rather than the masses they leeched off. The new system is flawed and imperfect but has more opportunities and scope of advancement for more people than the old regime.

** TheEmperor and other leaders of the Empire note that, as extreme as the rebels were, they had some legitimate grievances. As such, they set about reforming the empire with the hope of the citizenry, creating a VelvetRevolution of sorts.

** Bob is a revolutionary who is generally fairly moderate, dislikes getting his hands dirty, and is greatly dismayed by some of the more brutal things he has seen his fellow revolutionaries do, but he has seen TheEmpire do some truly unspeakable things that make even the worst of what his peers have done pale in comparison, and he grows steadily more radicalized out of necessity and anger until [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he becomes his own antithesis and worse]], all while [[TautologicalTemplar being utterly convinced of his own moral infallibility]]. By the end, the man who used to be the first to call his peers out for something horrible that they did is the man who is notorious even among his peers for massacring prisoners, selling people into slavery (including selling women to sex traffickers), and using child soldiers.

* '''Conversed''': "So, [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene another scene of puppy-kicking]] by the Liberation Front. The writer's sympathies are clear..."

** Bob is a revolutionary who is generally fairly moderate, dislikes getting his hands dirty, and is greatly dismayed by some of the more brutal things he has seen his fellow revolutionaries do, but he has seen TheEmpire do some truly unspeakable things that make even the worst of what his peers have done pale in comparison, and he grows steadily more radicalized out of necessity and anger until [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he becomes his own antithesis and worse]], all while [[TautologicalTemplar being utterly convinced of his own moral infallibility]].

'''Basic Trope''': There is a Revolution against an established government, and [[LaResistance La Resistance]] gets its hands dirty during the war.

** The rebels are AlwaysChaoticEvil and the RebelLeader is a CompleteMonster.
* '''Downplayed''': [[WellIntentionedExtremist The Liberation Front's]] [[AntiHeroTeam Revolutionary Army]], while a bit tough when regarding captured enemies and local population, [[NobleDemon doesn't commit]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards large-scale atrocities]].

** There is no LaResistance, period. The so-called Liberation Front is actually a FalseFlagOperation that makes TheEmpire look better by comparison while discovering people with true rebel tendencies so the [[StateSec Thought Police]] [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour can arrest and execute them]].

** The Revolution becomes so brutal that it is worse than the Empire it is fighting against, and as such [[RootingForTheEmpire the civilian populace wholeheartedly support the latter]]. The atrocities of the Liberation Front cause Imperial soldiers [[RoaringRampageofRevenge to become fanatical]]; they're not just fighting because The Empire pays well, they're fighting to avenge the murder of loyalist civilians. The Revolution becomes so brutal that both The Empire and its civilian population fight against it with everything they have, causing it to fail. The Resistance itself gains an almost [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-like]] level of infamy, to the point where even millennia later "Resistance Liberation Front" [[GodwinsLaw is a byword for evil]].
** The leaders of the Revolution come to accept some form of violence but they do this in the hope of controlling the direction of the movement, and preventing the truly bloodthirsty activists from coming to power. They believe that they can control the violence and kill fewer people by condoning some forms of violence, they will even make sure to make some high profile rescues and pardons of prominent victims to show that the violence is only done by "radicals" and once their base is secure, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness the executioners are submitted to a purge, a show trial]], a HistoricalVillainUpgrade and the Revolutionary regime that follows quietly rewrites history to paint itself and the movement as cleaner than it really was.
** The RebelLeader is an HonorBeforeReason hero, and as such is utterly horrified by how brutal his subordinates are. He can't prosecute the rapists and the child-killers because attempts to do so are blocked by his more radical subordinates. Finally, in a last-ditch gamble to reign in his uprising, the RebelLeader surrenders himself to TheEmpire -- not out of a change of heart but rather in an attempt to shame the rebellion into adopting less ruthless methods. It fails, and the very same radicals he was trying to shame instead either paint him as a coward and a traitor (at best) or falsely claim that he turned himself in in exchange for the false-promised release of rebel Prisoners Of War (using him as a Martyr [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to inspire even more atrocities]].)

* '''Downplayed''': The Liberation Front's Revolutionary Army, while a bit tough when regarding captured enemies and local population, doesn't commit large-scale atrocities.

** [[OverlyLongName Troperitania's People’s Democratic Resistance Liberation Front of Light and Peace]] uses fear as its main weapon, [[RapePillageAndBurn massacring any settlement that has loyalist sympathies]], [[SinkTheLifeboats murdering any and all enemy soldiers who try to surrender]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil allowing its soldiers to rape people with utter abandon]].

* '''Parodied''': The Resistance Liberation Front's RebelLeader literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between zapping innocent loyalists’ homes and random imperial troops with [[LightIsNotGood holy light]]. When asked what TheEmpire did that was so bad, they avoid the question by a NonAnswer[=/=]ConceptsAreCheap[=/=]MeaninglessMeaningfulWords or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.

** The author wants to give a [[GreyAndGrayMorality more historically accurate]] [[WarIsHell perspective to a revolution]] which is often (and incorrectly) treated as [[BlackAndWhiteMorality straight Good vs Evil.]]

-->'''Soldier Tim''': Tom, what if we're the bad guys? I mean, TheEmperor is kinda harsh-
-->'''Soldier Tom''': Are you kidding?! Those Liberation Front bastards murdered every man and raped every woman in my village and called it "recompense" for not siding with them! [[TheEnemyOfMyEnemy Any side opposing these brutes is the side I want to be on!]]

** The RebelLeader is an HonorBeforeReason hero, and as such is utterly horrified by how brutal his subordinates are. He can't prosecute the rapists and the child-killers because attempts to do so are blocked by his more radical subordinates. Finally, in a last-ditch gamble to reign in his uprising, the RebelLeader surrenders himself to TheEmpire -- not out of a change of heart but rather in an attempt to shame the rebellion into adopting less ruthless methods. It fails, and the very same radicals he was trying to shame instead either paint him as a coward and a traitor (at best) or falsely claim that he turned himself in in exchange for the false-promised release of rebel Prisoners Of War (using him as a Martyr [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to inspire even more atrocities]]).

* '''Straight''': Bob is a resistance fighter in [[LaResistance a Liberation Front-led revolution]] against [[TheEmpire Imperial Empire of Troperitania]]. During the war, he watches some of his comrades commit war crimes.

** The RebelLeader cannot be everywhere at once, so it would be unfair to expect them to know what all his soldiers are doing at all times.

** In this story, HobbesWasRight and any attempt to overthrow the tyrannical government of The Empire is doomed to devolve into mindless brutality and therefore not worth pursuing.

** The Liberation Front [[ChaoticEvil is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause]] such as [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar the "right" to own other humans as slaves]], "freedom" from the rule of a [[TheGoodKing benevolent King/Emperor]]/[[TheHighQueen Queen/Empress]]/other ruling class who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy", "evil"]], and/or [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "oppressive"]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "proper" birth, or [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of seizing power for themselves]]. Or even all of the above. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.

** The Empire itself was formed from a revolution that was every bit as brutal as the autocratic state it is now.

* '''Parodied''': The Resistance Liberation Front's RebelLeader literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between zapping innocent loyalists’ homes and random imperial troops with lightning. When asked what TheEmpire did that was so bad, they avoid the question by a NonAnswer[=/=]ConceptsAreCheap[=/=]MeaninglessMeaningfulWords or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.

** Or better yet, the revolution is one of the kind that, y'know, [[VelvetRevolution just doesn't turn into a civil war and ends peacefully]].

** The author was a veteran in a loyalist militia during an actual revolution, and so does not have fond memories of the plucky band of rebels who spent a decade fighting against everything he stands for.

* '''Exploited''': The Empire captures rebel atrocities on film and uses it in propaganda to paint the Liberation Front as being AlwaysChaoticEvil.

** The United Nations sent Peacekeepers into the The Empire and established safe zones during the early stages of The Rebellion, making it abundantly clear that atrocities from either side would not be tolerated.

-->'''Soldier Tim''': Tom, what if we're the bad guys? I mean, the Emperor is kinda harsh-

** The Liberation Front [[ChaoticEvil is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause]] such as [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar the "right" to own other humans as slaves]], "freedom" from the rule of a [[TheGoodKing benevolent King/Emperor]]/[[TheHighQueen Queen/Empress]]/other ruling class who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy", "evil"]], and/or [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "oppressive"]]]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "proper" birth, or [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of seizing power for themselves]]. Or even all of the above. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.

** The Liberation Front [[ChaoticEvil is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause]] such as [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar the "right" to own other humans as slaves]], "freedom" from the rule of a [[TheGoodKing benevolent King/Emperor]]/[[TheHighQueen Queen/Empress]]/other ruling class]] who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy", "evil", and/or [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "oppressive"]]]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "proper" birth, or [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of seizing power for themselves]]. Or even all of the above. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.

** Troperitania's People’s Democratic Resistance Liberation Front of Light and Peace uses fear as its main weapon, [[RapePillageAndBurn massacring any settlement that has loyalist sympathies]], [[SinkTheLifeboats murdering any and all enemy soldiers who try to surrender]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil allowing its soldiers to rape people with utter abandon]].

** The Liberation Front [[ChaoticEvil is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause]] such as [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar the "right" to own other humans as slaves]], "freedom" from the rule of a [[TheGoodKing benevolent King/Emperor]] who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy", "evil", and/or [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "oppressive"]]]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "proper" birth, or [[ForTheEvulz just for the sake of seizing power for themselves]]. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.
* '''Inverted''': TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified

* '''Double Subverted''': However, there are still some monsters in the Revolutionary Army who do commit atrocities when encountered.
* '''Parodied''': The Resistance Liberation Front's RebelLeader literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between zapping innocents’ homes with lightning. When asked what TheEmpire did that was so bad, they avoid the question by a NonAnswer[=/=]ConceptsAreCheap or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.
* '''Zig Zagged''': Given that the revolution happened hundreds of years ago, it's hard to tell what really happened. Some say the revolution was peaceful and lead to a period of prosperity, other say that it rebels were decent people even if they did deal out harsh justice to the worst of the offenders, others says the revolution was a bloodbath and the new regime was cruel and oppressive.

** The Rebel Leader holds his subordinates to a strict code of ethics, and any of his soldiers caught committing an atrocity is tried and executed.

** The officials of the newly formed Troperitanian Empire speak of their rise to power as a liberation of the people, but their oppressive behavior suggests they committed many brutal atrocities to get were they are.

** The Revolution becomes so brutal that it is worse than the Empire it is fighting against, and as such [[RootingForTheEmpire the civilian populace wholeheartedly support the latter]]. The atrocities of the Liberation Front cause Imperial soldiers [[RoaringRampageofRevenge to become fanatical]]; they're not just fighting because The Empire pays well, they're fighting to avenge the murder of loyalist civilians. The Revolution becomes so brutal that both The Empire and its civilian population fight against it with everything they have, causing it to fail. Even millennia later "Resistance Liberation Front" is a byword for evil.

** While that particular revolution was defeated, The Empire still has serious problems and there will likely be another one down the road. When it does come, the new Rebel Leader learns from the mistakes of his predecessors and ensures his soldiers obey UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar.

* '''Parodied''': The Resistance Liberation Front's commander literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between bites. When asked what TheEmpire did that was so bad, they avoid the question by a NonAnswer[=/=]ConceptsAreCheap or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.

** Troperitania's Liberation Front uses fear as its main weapon, [[RapePillageAndBurn massacring any settlement that has loyalist sympathies]], [[SinkTheLifeboats murdering any and all enemy soldiers who try to surrender]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil allowing its soldiers to rape people with utter abandon]].
** The Liberation Front conducts brutal ethnic cleansing of certain groups and anyone with ties to them, as they feel they must be [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "liberated from their existence"]].

** The Liberation Front is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause such as the "right" to own other humans as slaves, "freedom" from the rule of a benevolent King/Emperor who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy"]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "Proper" birth, or just for the sake of seizing power for themselves. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.

** The Liberation Front is actually [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified squeaky clean]], and TheEmpire is [[FalseFlagOperation dressing its soldiers up as rebels and sending them to massacre civilians]] [[MaliciousSlander to turn the populace against the rebellion]].

* '''Parodied''': The Liberation Front's commander literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between bites. When asked what TheEmpire did that was so bad, they avoid the question by a NonAnswer or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.

** The author wants to give a [[GreyAndGrayMorality more historically accurate]] [[WarIsHell perspective to a revolution]] which is often (and incorrectly) treated as straight Good vs Evil.

* '''Exploited''': The Empire captures rebel atrocities on film and uses it in propaganda to paint Liberation Front as being AlwaysChaoticEvil.

** The Revolution becomes so brutal that it is worse than the Empire it is fighting against, and as such [[RootingForTheEmpire the civilian populace wholeheartedly support the latter]]. The atrocities of the Liberation Front cause Imperial soldiers [[RoaringRampageofRevenge to become fanatical]]; they're not just fighting because The Empire pays well, they're fighting to avenge the murder of loyalist civilians. The Revolution becomes so brutal that both The Empire and its civilian population fight against it with everything they have, causing it to fail. Even millennia later "Liberation Front" is a byword for evil.

** The Liberation Front is fighting for an inherently unjustifiable cause such as the "right" to own other humans as slaves, "freedom" from the rule of a benevolent King who happens to belong to [[FantasticRacism a racial/cultural/religious group they consider "unworthy"]], or the removal of a RagsToRoyalty monarch in exchange for one of "Proper" birth. It's not hard to resort to bad methods when starting with bad intentions.

** The Liberation Front is actually [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified squeaky clean]], and The Empire is [[FalseFlagOperation dressing its soldiers up as rebels and sending them to massacre civilians]] [[MaliciousSlander to turn the populace against the rebellion]].
** There is no LaResistance, period. The so-called Liberation Front is actually a FalseFlagOperation that makes The Empire look better by comparison while discovering people with true rebel tenancies so the [[StateSec Thought Police]] [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour can arrest and execute them]].

* '''Parodied''': The Liberation Front's commander literally EatsBabies, and says stock freedom fighter lines in-between bites. When asked what The Empire did that was so bad, he avoids the question by a NonAnswer or just "selective deafness" instead of actually providing a real answer.

* '''Straight''': Bob is a resistance fighter in [[LaResistance a Liberation Front-led revolution]] against [[TheEmpire Imperial Government of Troperitania]]. During the war, he watches some of his comrades commit war crimes.

** Troperitania's Liberation Front uses fear as its main weapon, [[RapePillageAndBurn massacring any settlement that has loyalist sympathies]], [[SinkTheLifeboats murdering any and all enemy soldiers who try to surrender]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil allowing its soldiers to rape women and children with utter abandon]].

** The RebelLeader cannot be everywhere at once, so it would be unfair to expect him to know what all his soldiers are doing at all times.

* '''Zig Zagged''': ???