The modern practice of civil resistance sprang from new ideas about the underlying nature of political power that began to be framed about 170 years ago. As later developed by Gandhi and adopted by scores of movements and campaigns for rights and justice in recent decades, strategies of civil resistance have exhibited a common dynamic, propelled historic changes, and imparted certain political and social properties to their societies. The record of these strategies in liberating oppressed people, when compared to that of violent insurgency or revolt, has been remarkable – and suggests why political violence may substantially be reduced in the future.
2. CIVIL
RESISTANCE
“Power concedes nothing and it
never will. Find out just what
any people will quietly submit
to, and you have found out the
exact measure of injustice and
wrong which will be imposed
upon them, and these will
continue until they are
resisted…The limits of tyrants
are prescribed by the
endurance of those whom they
oppress.” – Frederick Douglass
3. “The Right to Rise
Up”
A half-century later,
Leo Tolstoy predicted
that “public opinion”
would change the
“whole structure of life”
making violence
“superfluous.”
4. “The Right to Rise
Up”
Gandhi was “overwhelmed” by
Tolstoy’s thinking…
- Irish resistance to
British rule (e.g. rent
strikes)
- 1905 Russian
revolution (e.g.
marches, strikes)
5. A New Way to “Rise Up”
Gandhi’s “nonviolent weapons” in
resisting British rule:
- Mass marches/protests
- Refusal to pay taxes
- Boycotts, resignations
- Active interference
7. The Dynamic of Resistance
When the people deprive an
oppressor of their
consent, it reduces his
legitimacy.
When enough people refuse
to cooperate, they
increase the cost of
holding control.
When the system’s
legitimacy drops and its
costs rise, its enforcers
doubt its endurance.
8. RECORD OF RESISTANCE
The great nation-changing nonviolent movements:
Indians (1920s-40s) East Germans (1989)
Salvadorans (1944) Mongolians (1990)
African-Americans (‘60s) Malians (1991)
Poles (1970s-1980s) Russians (1991)
South Africans (‘84-’92) Serbs (2000)
Chileans (1985-1988) Georgians (2003)
Filipinos (1986) Ukrainians (2004)
Czechs/Slovaks (1989) Maldivians (2008)
9. RESULTS OF RESISTANCE
In the 35 years between 1970 and 2005,
there were 67 transitions from
authoritarian to democratic
governments.
In 50 of 67
transitions, the
key factor was
nonviolent force.
10. The risks of strategic choices
Tiananmen Square, June 1989
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
- Sun Tzu
15. Emergent properties
of civil
resistance
rePresentatIon
- Ascertaining and presenting people’s grievances
- Listening, delegating and inviting participation
- Humility, not hierarchy
- Solidarity of all, not heroism of the few
16. Emergent properties
of civil
resistance
resIlIenCe
- Momentum
- Existential stakes
- Certitude of faith in
eventual success
Fannie Lou Hamer
17. Emergent properties
of civil
resistance
transforMatIon
- No monolithic enemies
- Everyone a stakeholder
- Ends reflected in means
18. How Resistance Changes Everything
“By breaking the rules of the game,
[the dissident] has disrupted the
game…He has shattered the world
of appearances… He has shown
everyone that it is possible to live
within the truth. Living within the
lie can constitute the system only
if it is universal…and therefore
everyone who steps out of line
denies it in principle and threatens
it in its entirety.”
19. The Basis of Resistance:
A Choice of Identity
“Who are you?”
The object of a ruling elite,
submissive to threats of violence
…and social anesthesia?
or
A citizen, able to resist the
lie that injustice can’t be
opposed, able to develop
the means to obtain power?
20. Demand for Militant Struggle
From people who want…
-Self-determination
(West Papuans, Sahrawis)
-End to dictatorship
(Syria, Belarus, Fiji)
-End to violence
(Mexico, Nigeria)
21. Violent v. Nonviolent Power
New study of 323 violent and nonviolent
campaigns, 1900 to 2006:
-Violent campaigns
succeeded in 26% of cases.
-Nonviolent campaigns
succeeded in 53% of cases.
Stephen & Chenoweth, “Why Civil Resistance
Works”, International Security, Summer 2008.
