Tactically the barricades were both a defensive and offensive weapon. From the perspective of defense, barricades were highly effective in holding off the army, disempowering mounted troops and disrupting the government’s lines of communication and supply. But they also served an equally important offensive role because they gave the rebels the time and opportunity to explain their cause to the soldiers. This is why Russian communist Leon Trotsky would later write that barricades were primarily “a way of halting the movement of troops, thus placing them in contact with the people.” Protesters developed a strategy of fraternization that weakened the resolve of the opposing army, increasing defections. Therefore, once barricades were constructed, it was nearly impossible for the government to quell the rebellion through force.
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