The final third of the book is taken up with questions about particular tactics that can be employed in the fight for change, as well as the outlook for radical movements. When a movement outlines their course of action, a balance must be struck. On the one hand there must be concrete plans, tactics, and planned outcomes. Without a plan, the movement can become amorphous and dissolve. On the other hand, the best-laid plans often go awry. There must be fluidity, a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and failures. Without flexibility, the movement will fall apart at the first obstacle; activists won’t be able to plan their next step if things do not go precisely according to plan.

Alinsky’s rules can be put into one of two groups or ideas. The first is that of wielding one’s power—whether real or imagined—to the fullest. Whatever kind of power the group wields, or has convinced the enemy they wield, needs to be leveraged to the greatest possible advantage. Most strategic moves will revolve around what kind of power is threatened or enacted and its timing. The second idea is that of always keeping the enemy at the forefront of one’s mind. The community needs to operate outside the enemy’s experience, and it needs to pressure the enemy into making mistakes or giving in to demands.

The arrest of group leaders can be effective. This creates a martyr or martyrs around which to unite. It gives the leader a chance to rest and breathe, to take stock of the situation from a distance and ensure that the direction they’ve been taking is correct. In some instances—such as that of the author—the time spent in jail provides the respite to begin a book or manifesto that will inspire the movement.

Alinsky concludes that radicals need to engage the middle class in order to succeed. If all groups could be motivated and brought together into a single movement, it still wouldn’t be enough without the middle class. Radicals need to convince this silent majority that they would be better off creating a better world around them.

The middle class often looks upon both groups—the Haves and Have-Nots—with contempt. It is easier to demonize other groups and take on the persona of victimhood than to effect change.

Instead, a movement should emphasize the bonds of the human race: everyone benefits when the community as a whole flourishes, and nobody succeeds apart from society. The status quo is in desperate need of a shakeup. The real enemies tend to be politicians hiding among the ruling class; change will occur when the ruling class can be purified of selfish individuals and desires and replaced with those who fight for the common good. The radical can do their part by inspiring hope in those who have fallen into despair, and by providing purpose and direction for those who desire to make change.