This is the same problem revolutionaries always had, torn between peacefulness not getting anything done, and getting their movment forcefully broken by government repression and also not getting anything done. I think bolsheviks get it correct with splitting the activity to legal and illegal branches with second part being in the conspiration. And note that even in the liberal countries they was still need for conspiration.

I think this was one of the main reasons of treason of II internationale, the intelligentsia at the core of their movement got too comfortable living as the opposition so when the govt put knife in the table and made them choose, they of course chosen their warm publicist beds. Same before at various points like 1848 or when Germany had antisocialst bills enacted.