> the people in power were way weaker, than everyone believed. You cannot just have people shot, you need soldiers or police doing it

I've heard a similar story about the collapse of Ceaucescu in Romania. The regime didn't just rely on police but on bussing in "counter protestors" (loyalist miners armed with pickaxe handles) to deal with demos. But things turned so quickly once the big speech was booed that everything fell apart - and internal security factions began to turn on one another ..