Marcel Dirsus

“They can attempt to split the opposition by making concessions that are either unimportant to them or fake. If that works, it will reduce the number of people who need to die – thereby also reducing international costs and the probability that the dictatorship will come apart. As odd as it sounds, offering concessions is often the best way to break protestors before they break the despot.
With the enemy near the gates, this manouevre can go something like this: the despot fires hated government officials, dismisses unpopular ministers and then promises deep constitutional reforms. And just like that, without giving up anything that really matters, the regime may turn people against one another. Some will reluctantly believe the government, others will keep protesting. Those that protest, now a much more manageable number, can be met with beatings, torture or live ammunition. By the time it dawns on the former that they have been deceived, that the concessions aren’t going to lead to meaningful change, the regime, it is hoped, has regained enough strength to put their protests down as well.”
― Marcel Dirsus, How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive