History Main / TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified

* Usually averted in the StarTrekNovelVerse. Rebel movements are often very ambiguous and/or complex. For example, the Silgov in StarfleetCorpsOfEngineers, though clearly victimized, are presented as questionable in some regards themselves, willing to victimize Koa in turn in order to get what they want. The X'Mari Resistance, meanwhile, are sympathetic, but clearly no saints. One of the best examples is in the novel DiplomaticImplausibility. On taD, while the al'Hmatti are indeed victimized by Klingon oppression, at least one Klingon overseer is genuinely upset to discover an al'Hmatti he thought was a friend was a terrorist/freedom fighter. His distress when the al'Hmatti in question turns on him is portrayed with great sympathy. Both Klingon and al'Hmatti are treated with respect by the author throughout. Finally, the Nachri rebels are questionable in conduct, too, although their grievances may well be legitimate.
* Deconstructed in OneJustMan, where the anti-hero deliberately sets out to wreck the criminal justice system on the assumption that whatever They are forced to replace it with Has To Be Better Than This, leading to a) the collapse of civil government under rampant crime and b) its apparent replacement by country-wide martial law.

[[quoteright:340:[[Franchise/LesMiserables http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pillar10-History-French-Revolution-Delacroix_7053.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:340:''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmaTNf4YhEs Do you hear the people sing?...]]'']]

* Played almost sickeningly straight in the WarcraftExpandedUniverse WarOfTheAncients trilogy. The [[OurElvesAreBetter Night Elves]] revolt against their corrupt, extravagant and hedonistic ruling caste while simultaneously fighting off a [[TheLegionsOfHell demonic invasion]]... only to replace it with a theocratic military dictatorship replete with [[StateSec secret police]] and expansive [[TheAlcatraz underground gulags]] where they send their political prisoners. And it's presented as a good thing- to the point where their beloved totalitarian leader has ruled completely unopposed for ten thousand years.

[[quoteright:340:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pillar10-History-French-Revolution-Delacroix_7053.jpg]]

Even so, that doesn't mean the rebels must always choose the most liberating tactics, as in historical examples where all-too-often the rebels, both historically and in fiction, utilize barbaric tactics and regularly commit war crimes. Frequently they are the 'bad guys', [[TakeAThirdOption or they and their government]] [[EvilVersusEvil both are]]. Depending on your political views, you can find examples everywhere: CheGuevara may have his fans, but the Cuban revolution was far from an expression of "workers' power", and the long-term results are debatable. Likewise, see China or anything called a [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Glorious Revolution or People's Revolution]]. On the other side of the political spectrum, ruling forces frequently use violent groups of extremists to maintain the status quo, or to reverse a recent upsetting of it. Whether it's terrorist cells in Miami, brown shirts in depression-era Germany, roving gangs in Latin America, or competing groups of fighters with a variety of non-neutral foreign backers in war-torn Middle Eastern nations, not all "rebels" are spontaneously born from the "masses' desire for freedom."

* Subverted in Literature/ShadowChildren: The Tyrannical Population Police have cut down on rations and are forcing people to join. When [[TheHero Luke]] saves and gives a gun to some citizens, they shoot the officer in self-defense as the first act of the revolution. The second involves them going up to a truck driver and executing him because he worked for the government (which many people were doing because they would cut off rations if one didn't). The final book explores this, while some rebels, like Mr. Talbot's group and the kids, fight for equality and freedom, others, like Otto, fight so they can gain control of the government, and even absorbs some of the former leaders of the group into his new government.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. The game starts with the player and some Stormcloak rebels ending up victims of the Empire (the player almost gets beheaded despite not being a rebel). This gives the player a positive view of the Stormcloaks. But as the game progresses, it soon turns into a GreyAndGreyMorality situation as it's shown the Stormcloaks and the Imperials both have their flaws. The Stormcloaks' leader is racist, but the Empire is oppressing a religion at the behest of the super racist Thalmor (it agreed to do so in a treaty, but the necessity of the treaty is questionable). Both sides are happy to kill the other and the civil war means that the Empire may be less able to defend itself against the Thalmor.

* WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower led an example of a good rebellion...though with the majority of her RoguesGallery being even more incompetent than that of her SpearCounterpart [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] with a ZeroPercentApprovalRating to boot, it's a wonder she wasn't running Etheria by the end of the first season.

* WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower led an example of a good rebellion...though with the majority of her RoguesGallery being even more incompetent than that of her SpearCounterpart WesternAnimation/{{He-Man| and the Masters of the Universe}} with a ZeroPercentApprovalRating to boot, it's a wonder she wasn't running Etheria by the end of the first season.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. The game starts with the player and some Stormcloak rebels ending up victims of the Empire (the player almost gets beheaded despite not being a rebel). This gives the player a positive view of the Stormcloaks. But as the game progress, it soon turns into a GreyAndGreyMorality situation as it's shown the Stormcloaks and the Imperials both have their flaws. The Stormcloaks' leader is racist, but the Empire is oppressing a religion at the behest of the super racist Thalmor (it agreed to do so in a treaty, but the necessity of the treaty is questionable). Both sides are happy to kill the other and the civil war itself means that the Empire may be less able to defend itself against the Thalmor.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. The game start with the player and some Stormcloak rebels ending up victims of the Empire (the player almost gets beheaded despite not being a rebel). This gives the player a positive view of the Stormcloaks. But as the game progress, it soon turns into a GreyAndGreyMorality situation as it's shown the Stormcloaks and the Empires both have their flaws.

** It is also interesting for how culture seems to affect this trope: Stormcloak supporters see nothing wrong with killing or suppressing others, as long as the process fits with their laws and traditions. The Empire's culture, by contrast, finds the rebel's behavior abhorrent.

* The ''StarWars'' The Galactic Empire were remarkably evil, what with the racist motives and the EarthShatteringKaboom. The Rebellion, on the other hand, wore halos. This was eventually fleshed out in the ExpandedUniverse with both sides [[KickTheDog kicking]] or [[PetTheDog petting the dog]].

* ''Film/TheMatrix'' is all about over taking the machines and escaping this virtual paradise and living underground in a wasteland. All things considered the virtual world really wasn't that bad.

* In ''Film/SleepingDogs'', though two members of LaResistance ''were'' revealed to have framed an innocent man, the main character Smith, for a bombing, the guerrillas overall are portrayed being better by far than the brutal [[StateSec Special Police Force]] they fight.

* Deconstructed in OneJustMan, where the anti-hero deliberately sets out to wreck the criminal justice system on the assumption that whatever They are forced to replace it with Has To Be Better Than This, leading to a)the collapse of civil government under rampant crime b) its apparentl replacement by country-wide martial law.
* {{Subverted}} in ''Mockingjay'' several times, most notably when [[spoiler: the rebels fire-bomb Capitol children and their own medics in a FalseFlagOperation towards the end of the book]]

** SubvertedTrope later when rogue telepaths rebel against the Psi-Corps, as while the Psi-Corps are quite literally telepathic Nazi wannabes, the tactics used by the rogues make no distinction in their targets, making it all too easy for Psi-Corps to spin it as wanton terrorism.

** AvertedTrope in 'The Power of Kroll'. While the human colonists are cold blooded and ruthless the natives are little better, threatening to murder the Doctor and Romana, as well as graphically skewering the BigBad with graphically bloody results. The ending offers little hope for improvement, as the Doctor cheerfully encourages them and the sole surviving colonist on the base to peacefully work out their differences, a sentiment coldly shot down as they prowl around him and ominous music plays.

** While this show's revolution is already over and failed, despite the rather ugly mess it caused, it's looked back on rather favorably. We didn't get to see a lot of Alliance oppression before ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', but the Academy and the Blue Hands and what they did to River was pretty damned evil. There are some indications that the Browncoats were not all squeaky-clean, though; in "Bushwhacked" an Alliance officer implies that he personally encountered prisoners who had been tortured by Browncoats, and in the tie-in comics there were extremists known as "Dust Devils" who kept on fighting after the war ended, performing terror attacks on civilians and military.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': SubvertedTrope in the episode "Resistance". Instead of the usual selfless support of outsider Good Guys, the underground battling the despotic Mocra only help Voyager's crew in exchange for payment in medical supplies, and aren't the least bit interested in helping free Tuvok and B'Elanna from prison. As their leader points out: "If I could get people out of there, I'd free my own first!" In fact, ''Voyager'' effectively subverted this trope several times. The episodes "Nightingale" and "Flesh and Blood" both involve a crew member attempting to help a resistance group, only to find out the situation is more complicated than good rebels vs. evil empire.

* Averted in a few films of ''LesMiserables'' made at points of anti-Communist hysteria, which portray Enjolras as a dangerous kook, and Marius as a wide-eyed innocent caught up in his overzealous mission.

* For all its attempts at down-to-earth gritty realism, the revolutionaries in FangOfTheSunDougram are always portrayed in a sympathetic light.

* Averted in a few films of LesMiserable made at points of anti-Communist hysteria, which portray Enjolras as a dangerous kook, and Marius as a wide-eyed innocent caught up in his overzealous mission.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Plays this trope straight. Not only is there the big resistance against President Clark, but Mars and Proxima 3 are also rebelling and generally seen as oppressed planets under the thumb of the increasingly fascist Earth Forces.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor tends to end up allied with the resistance against the Evil Totalitarian Despot of the Week, and rarely is the resistance shown as being anything less than favorable.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': While this show's revolution is already over and failed, despite the rather ugly mess it caused, it's looked back on rather favorably. We didn't get to see a lot of Alliance oppression before ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', but the Academy and the Blue Hands and what they did to River was pretty damned evil. There are some indications that the Browncoats were not all squeaky-clean, though; in "Bushwhacked" an Alliance officer implies that he personally encountered prisoners who had been tortured by Browncoats, and in the tie-in comics there were extremists known as "Dust Devils" who kept on fighting after the war ended, performing terror attacks on civilians and military.

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': Played with. The Monroe Republic is a dictatorship that will terrorize and kill anyone who dares to stand up to them. A number of the rebels are genuinely good. Episode 2 shows that the rebels are considered traitors by Monroe. Episode 3 shows that any rebel who sells out his comrades will be killed by the militia in short order, and the rebels will generally not have any sympathy for any member of the militia, former or otherwise. Episode 5 shows that the rebels have little teamwork between them, with one of them willing to blow up a train to kill off militia officers...and a civilian. Episode 9 shows that the rebels are willing to rough up Miles Matheson in interrogation and have even adopted military ranks...too bad they didn't notice that a mole had been in their ranks for years. Episode 11 has Monroe deciding to exterminate every single rebel in the Monroe Republic. Episode 13 shows that the rebels are not going to show mercy to any militia member they capture, but the militia is generally unsympathetic anyway. Episode 14 onward has the rebels and 200 Georgian soldiers working together to fight Monroe, making the number 300. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, episode 17 has one drone strike kill off so many men that the number goes down from 300 to 30. It's not clear how many of those 30 men were rebels and Georgians. Finally, episode 18 has the rebel leader Wayne Ramsay killed off]]. All in all, you can generally root for the resistance, but they are certainly not angels.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Toyed with this trope with the Maquis story arcs. While generally portrayed as sympathetic (former) Federation citizens who are following their own personal consciences, the Maquis were known for using terrorist tactics (Major Kira even chastised one for still thinking like a Starfleet Officer trying to win a political victory) and escalating violence rather than diplomacy. While they never really cross the MoralEventHorizon (well, except for that time they used biological and chemical weapons to force the Cardassians to abandon several contested colonies), many Starfleet officers were left feeling betrayed when peers abandoned their oaths of loyalty and turned their back on the Federation they had sworn to protect. That, and they had a bad habit of actively stealing Federation weapons and supplies to support their war effort.

* While ''Series/{{Firefly}}'''s revolution is already over and failed, despite the rather ugly mess it caused, it's looked back on rather favorably. We didn't get to see a lot of Alliance oppression before ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', but the Academy and the Blue Hands and what they did to River was pretty damned evil. There are some indications that the Browncoats were not all squeaky-clean, though; in "Bushwhacked" an Alliance officer implies that he personally encountered prisoners who had been tortured by Browncoats, and in the tie-in comics there were extremists known as "Dust Devils" who kept on fighting after the war ended, performing terror attacks on civilians and military.
** The implication is that, overall, the Alliance wasn't generally tyrannical. It's greatest fault was, as River Tam said in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', that it is "meddlesome." WordOfGod has it that the Core worlds generally were more progressive than the outlying worlds, and the poor living conditions in the outer worlds were unnecessary. The formerly leading worlds of the Independents are the ones with aristocracy and slavery (though the connection isn't clearly drawn in {{Firefly}}). Malcolm Reynolds is an {{Antihero}}, but his desire for independence is set against the tendency of the Alliance to overreach, which could lead to disaster.
* ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' did this. Not only is there the big resistance against President Clark, but Mars and Proxima 3 are also rebelling and generally seen as oppressed planets under the thumb of the increasingly fascist Earth Forces.

** Subverted later when rogue telepaths rebel against the Psi-Corps, as while the Psi-Corps are quite literally telepathic Nazi wannabes, the tactics used by the rogues make no distinction in their targets, making it all too easy for Psi-Corps to spin it as wanton terrorism.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' also toyed with this trope with the Maquis story arcs. While generally portrayed as sympathetic (former) Federation citizens who are following their own personal consciences, the Maquis were known for using terrorist tactics (Major Kira even chastised one for still thinking like a Starfleet Officer trying to win a political victory) and escalating violence rather than diplomacy. While they never really cross the MoralEventHorizon (well, except for that time they used biological and chemical weapons to force the Cardassians to abandon several contested colonies), many Starfleet officers were left feeling betrayed when peers abandoned their oaths of loyalty and turned their back on the Federation they had sworn to protect. That, and they had a bad habit of actively stealing Federation weapons and supplies to support their war effort.
** The whole situation is played very GreyAndGrayMorality with both the Federation and the Maquis in the right but at odds with each other and neither happy about it (rather than the standard Star Trek pattern of both sides of the conflict being revealed to be in the wrong). The Maquis' greatest flaw is generally shown as being caught up in the cycle of violence and revenge, when they should have taken advantage of several opportunities to negotiate a peace settlement and end the conflict.
* Subverted in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Resistance". Instead of the usual selfless support of outsider Good Guys, the underground battling the despotic Mocra only help Voyager's crew in exchange for payment in medical supplies, and aren't the least bit interested in helping free Tuvok and B'Elanna from prison. As their leader points out: "If I could get people out of there, I'd free my own first!"
** ''Voyager'' effectively subverted this trope several times, in fact. The episodes "Nightingale" and "Flesh and Blood" both involve a crew member attempting to help a resistance group, only to find out the situation is more complicated than good rebels vs. evil empire.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', The Doctor tends to end up allied with the resistance against the Evil Totalitarian Despot of the Week, and rarely is the resistance shown as being anything less than favorable.

** 'The Power of Kroll' averts. While the human colonists are cold blooded and ruthless the natives are little better, threatening to murder the Doctor and Romana, as well as graphically skewering the BigBad with graphically bloody results. The ending offers little hope for improvement, as the Doctor cheerfully encourages them and the sole surviving colonist on the base to peacefully work out their differences, a sentiment coldly shot down as they prowl around him and ominous music plays.
* The German children's TV show ''Politibongo'' is this trope turned up to 11. The revolution might be stupid and constantly messing things up which their contact on earth as to fix for them, but they [[WhiteAndGreyMorality never are evil]].

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', where the Sons of Korhal rebel against TheEmpire, and eventually institute their own, equal or worse dictatorship in its place.
* Played straight in ''StarcraftII'', where Raynor's Raiders are trying to bring down the Dominion that they helped create in the first game.