At one time Marcos was one of the world's most powerful dictators. |
Arrests and assassinations kept Filipinos living in fear. |
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In 1983 Benigno Aquino returned to the Philippines after three years in exile. |
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As a popular politician, Aquino represented a threat to the Marcos presidency. |
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As Aquino exited the plane shots rang out. |
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The assassination of Benigno Aquino lit the fire that would eventually consume the Marcos regime. |
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The public reacted angrily to the Aquino murder. |
Rallies and other forms of resistance sprang up all over the Philippines. |
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Finally in 1985, yielding to pressure from his people, Marcos called for presidential elections to prove he still had widespread support. |
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Cory, Benigno Aquino's widow, ran against Marcos. |
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The election was marked by widespread fraud. |
The government declared Marcos the winner. |
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Cory Aquino proposed a seven-part program of nonviolent resistance to the Marcos regime. |
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Aquino
urged people to "experiment with nonviolent forms of protest." |
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The revolution had begun. |
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In early
1986 the Defense Minister and Deputy Chief of Staff suddenly defected
from the Marcos government. |
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They barricaded themselves in the Defense Ministry headquarters in Manila, along with a small group of sympathetic troops. |
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"They are cornered," said Marcos. They "can
be easily wiped out with simple artillery and tank fire." |
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Hundreds of thousands of people surrounded the Defense Ministry to block the movement of any troops that Marcos might send. |
For the next four days, entire families camped out on the streets of Manila, using their bodies to protect the rebel troops from attack. |
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Marcos sent Marines with tanks and armored personnel carriers to attack the Defense Ministry. |
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They were met by tens of thousands of ordinary Filipinos who refuse to let the tanks pass. |
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Behind the scenes Marcos maneuvered to save face. |
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He must have been astonished to see his power, which seemed so absolute only a few weeks ago, evaporate so quickly and completely. |
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Marcos, who ruled for twenty years as one of the world's most powerful dictators, fled the country like a frightened dog. |
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Jubilant Filipinos flooded into the streets to celebrate.
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Cory Aquino was installed as the new president.
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