Nonviolent resistance

Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance. Each of these terms ("nonviolent resistance" and "civil resistance") has its distinct merits and also slightly different connotations, which are briefly explored in the entry on civil resistance. The modern form of non-violent resistance as we know it today was popularised and proven to be effective by the Indian legend Mahatma Gandhi in his efforts to gain independence from the British. Nonviolent resistance advocates include Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2006 peace ethologist Judith Hand presented a strategy for abolishing war premised on using nonviolent resistance (A Future Without War: the Strategy of a Warfare Transition).

From 1966 to 1999 nonviolent civic resistance has played a critical role in 50 of 67 transitions from authoritarianism. Recently, nonviolent resistance has led to the Rose Revolution in Georgia and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. Current nonviolent resistance includes the Jeans Revolution in Belarus and the "Jasmine" Revolution in Tunisia.



Many movements which promote philosophies of nonviolence or pacifism have pragmatically adopted the methods of nonviolent action as an effective way to achieve social or political goals. They employ nonviolent resistance tactics such as: information warfare, picketing, vigils, leafletting, samizdat, magnitizdat, satyagraha, protest art, protest music and poetry, community education and consciousness raising, lobbying, tax resistance, civil disobedience, boycotts or sanctions, legal/diplomatic wrestling, sabotage, underground railroads, principled refusal of awards/honours, and general strikes. Nonviolent action differs from pacifism by potentially being proactive and interventionist.

Publications

 * M K Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha)
 * The ACTivist Magazine
 * Gene Sharp, Politics of Nonviolent Action (Parts 1 - 3)
 * Gene Sharp, Making Europe unconquerable: the potential of civilian-based deterrence and defence (see article)
 * Walter Wink, Jesus and Nonviolence - A Third Way
 * Kurt Schock, Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies
 * The Philosophy of Nonviolence by David McReynolds
 * A Force More Powerful, directed by Steve York
 * Michael King, The Penguin History of New Zealand Pp 219–20, 222, 247–8, & 386. 2003
 * Mark Kurlansky, Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea
 * Jonathan Schell, The Unconquerable World
 * Judith Hand, A Future Without War: The Strategy of a Warfare Transition. San Diego, CA: Questpath Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9700031-3-3 (2006).
 * ISBN 978-0-19-955201-6 (hardback). US edition. Google link.