ABSTRACT
An ancient literary device allows novelists and playwrights to begin their story by plunging immediately into the middle of it, in medias res. Their example leads me to take a further step and state the final conclusion of this essay at its outset. To the question “Is Gradualism Dead?” I reply: Although still alive, gradualism is not thriving. With each passing year it becomes increasingly irrelevant. Many of its champions seem to be aware of gradualism’s diminishing pertinence and are thereby thrown into a defensive posture. Consequently, in accord with a well-known psychological law, they tend to become increasingly aggressive. Quite understandably, therefore, advocates of gradualism suffer no moral scruples in supporting such forms of non-gradualist reactive violence as counterinsurgency, counter-revolution, or violent suppression of dissent under banners of law and order.
