Power to the people (slogan)
Encyclopedia
"Power to the people" is a political slogan that has been used in a wide variety of contexts.
, young people began speaking and writing this phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as the oppression by the older generation, especially The Establishment
. The Black Panthers used the slogan "All Power to the People" to protest the rich, ruling class
domination of society. Pro-democracy student
s used it to protest America's military campaign in Vietnam
.
In his 1974 book Computer Lib
, Ted Nelson
connected computer use with political freedom with the rallying cry "Computer power to the people! Down with the cybercrud." In the mid-1980s the People Power movement arose in the Philippines
to oust Ferdinand Marcos
. In the late 20th century and early 21st century the phrase has been used with regard to energy policy
.
The Pakistan Peoples Party
has as its creed, "Islam is our faith; democracy is our politics; socialism is our economy; all power to the people."
had the title character use the slogan in the title sequence.
. It is also the title of a song
by John Lennon
and a lyric by James Brown
: "Power to the people, people power!" Rage Against the Machine
also quoted the slogan in their song "Year of tha Boomerang
". The jamaican Reggae
band Rootz Underground wrote a song entitled "Power To The People" in which they quote this slogan in both English and South African versions.
uses the slogan to express the need for poor people to control their own movements rather than have wealthy donors or leftist NGOs control or speak for them. The divide between South Africa's independent social movements and many leftist and vanguard organisations in South Africa has become a point of contention.
The South African slogan "Amandla
Ngawethu" or "Amandla Awethu" is also a popular variation of the Power to the People. It literally means "The power is ours" but is used in a similar way as "Power to the People". It is often used in a call and response format, with the speaker shouting "Amandla" and the crowd replying "Awethu".
In politics
During the 1960s in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, young people began speaking and writing this phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as the oppression by the older generation, especially The Establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
. The Black Panthers used the slogan "All Power to the People" to protest the rich, ruling class
Ruling class
The term ruling class refers to the social class of a given society that decides upon and sets that society's political policy - assuming there is one such particular class in the given society....
domination of society. Pro-democracy student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s used it to protest America's military campaign in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
In his 1974 book Computer Lib
Computer Lib
Computer Lib is a book by Ted Nelson, originally published in 1974 by Nelson himself, and packaged with Dream Machines, another book by Nelson...
, Ted Nelson
Ted Nelson
Theodor Holm Nelson is an American sociologist, philosopher, and pioneer of information technology. He coined the terms "hypertext" and "hypermedia" in 1963 and published it in 1965...
connected computer use with political freedom with the rallying cry "Computer power to the people! Down with the cybercrud." In the mid-1980s the People Power movement arose in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to oust Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. In the late 20th century and early 21st century the phrase has been used with regard to energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
.
The Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
has as its creed, "Islam is our faith; democracy is our politics; socialism is our economy; all power to the people."
In drama
The 1970s television series Citizen SmithCitizen Smith
Citizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith...
had the title character use the slogan in the title sequence.
In music
"Power to the people, 'cause the people want peace" is chanted on the Public Enemy album New Whirl OdorNew Whirl Odor
New Whirl Odor is the ninth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released in the U.S. on November 1, 2005. The title name for the album is a pun for New World Order. The song "MKLVFKWR" features the artist Moby....
. It is also the title of a song
Power to the People (song)
"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple R5892 in the United Kingdom and Apple 1830 in the United States. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British singles chart...
by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and a lyric by James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
: "Power to the people, people power!" Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
also quoted the slogan in their song "Year of tha Boomerang
Year of tha Boomerang
"Year of tha Boomerang" is a song by the American political rap metal musical group Rage Against the Machine. It originally appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack of Higher Learning in 1994. On the back of the soundtrack, the song is called "Year of the Boomerang"...
". The jamaican Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band Rootz Underground wrote a song entitled "Power To The People" in which they quote this slogan in both English and South African versions.
In advertising
"Power to the People" was spoken by an actress in a Progressive Auto Insurance advertisement in heavy television rotation during 2009.Variations of the slogan
A popular variation of the slogan is "Power to the Poor People!" Amongst others, the South African social movement the Western Cape Anti-Eviction CampaignWestern Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is a non-racial popular movement made up of poor and oppressed communities in Cape Town, South Africa...
uses the slogan to express the need for poor people to control their own movements rather than have wealthy donors or leftist NGOs control or speak for them. The divide between South Africa's independent social movements and many leftist and vanguard organisations in South Africa has become a point of contention.
The South African slogan "Amandla
Amandla (power)
Amandla is a Xhosa and Zulu word meaning "power". The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against Apartheid, used by the African National Congress and its allies. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" or "Ngawethu!" ,...
Ngawethu" or "Amandla Awethu" is also a popular variation of the Power to the People. It literally means "The power is ours" but is used in a similar way as "Power to the People". It is often used in a call and response format, with the speaker shouting "Amandla" and the crowd replying "Awethu".