From Occupy Wall Street to the Umbrella Movement: Leaderless Uprising Explained

Abstract

Abstract The series of uprising that swept from Wall Street in 2011 to Hong Kong in 2014 are described as embodying a “leaderless” form of organizing. With no centralized organizational structure, these contemporary movements are often thought to be a new form of politics that is far more participatory and spontaneous than the tradition of revolutionary communism inaugurated by the Bolsheviks in 1917. However, such a stark contrast suppresses the similarities between past and present revolts, and obscures how the experience of the former can still contribute to the latter.