FRANTZ FANON ON COLONIALISM AND THE PSYCHOLOGYOFOPPRESSION

It is generally admitted that in the specific case of self-defense involving persons or nations,recourse to violence is a legitimate choice. Outside such cases of self-defense, onlythestatehas the legitimate power to use violence, it being assumed that the monopoly of violencebythe state is precisely how individuals give up their own right to violence and agreetocomeunder a political authority. However, theories,such as Marxism, have also approvedviolenceas a legitimate expression of revolutionary movements. They identify violence as amidwifeof history whereby emerging higher social demands overthrow outdated andreactionarysocial systems