Kinda trying to piece some ideas together here. If there's theory on this, please send it.
For example, the George Floyd protests were very violent by U.S. standards but we never got to the point of, say, a massacre on the White House lawn. Instead, it was mostly tear gas, police brutality, and the media apparatus quickly countering with propaganda.
If a movement can't be taken down with propaganda (i.e.; :vote: and it will all go away), then the state will need to use more brutal force to maintain itself, correct?
Yes, and this is why attacking the legitimacy of a government is so effective. Don't discount the Floyd protests, they permanently discredited the US government in the eyes of a lot of people who had never considered it before. Cities burned, never forget this. There was an autonomous collective in Seattle. A lot of really good things happened that can never be undone.