This is a class lecture in Hermeneutics

1. Comunicación y Gerencia
LECTURE BY
JOSEPHINE
ACOSTA
PASRICHA
COPYRIGHT 2007

2. GENE
SHARP
Theory
of
Power

3. Second Chronicles 7:14
• If my people, who are called by my Name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek
my Face and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sins and will heal their land.

4. Gene Sharp

5. Post EDSA Revolutions
• 1986 EDSA Yellow Revolution, Philippines
People Power by withdrawing
consent, civilian based defense Marcos
vs. Aquino
• 1992 EDSA II Estrada and Arroyo
• 1991 preventing military coup, Russia
• South Korea, people stormed streets to
throw dictator out
• Pakistan Nepal Bangla Desh Indonesia

6. Peaceful revolutions post 2000
are led by youth movement
• 1. Serbia-Montenegro 2000-2001 (Yugoslavia)
• Milosevic versus Youth Movement
• 2. Rose Revolution in Georgia 2003
• Soviet style regime versus youth movement
• 3. Orange Revolution in Ukraine 2004
• PM Yanokovich versus Pres. Yuchenco and
youth movement
• 4. Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan 2005
marred by little violence because hardline
government, but youth stormed President’s
palace and soldiers did not stop them

7. Sharp’s Influence
• Sharp influenced strategy of resistance
organization in youth movements in
Eastern Europe who used his handbook.
• Otpor in Serbia
• Kmara in republic of Georgia
• Pora in Ukraine
• Kelkel in Kyrgystan
• Zubr in Belarus

8. Other Influences
• Sharp may have influenced Orange Alternative
movement fighting communism in People’s
Republic of Poland, founded 1983, since it used
methods mentioned by Sharp, although it is not
clear whether founders knew his work
• Sharp’s book Civilian based Defense used by
Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian governments
during separation from Soviet Union in 1991

9. Failed Revolutions
• Cedar (tree) in Lebanon 2005 youth led
change of government
• Cornflower (Blue or Denim) Revolution in
Belarus failed because lacked critical mass
and youth was weak.
• President Aleksandr Lukashenko, opposition
leader Aleksandr Milinkevich, opposition
youth group “Zubr” - and the unlikeliness of
another color revolution, the “denim” one

10. West sponsored revolution
• President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on 22
February accused the opposition of seeking
Western economic sanctions against Minsk and
denied the opposition the right to call Belarus its
own country, Belarusian Television reported. He
also blasted the West for sponsoring what he
called a ―blue or cornflower revolution.‖ ―The
West spares no money for [funding the
Belarusian opposition],‖ Lukashenka said.

11. Spin
• ―They consider that Belarus is ripe for some sort
of an orange or, I’m [even] terrified to utter it out
loud, some blue or cornflower — which is the
same thing, I think — revolution. We have
already had enough of that blueness!‖ In
Belarusian poetry, blue cornflower stands for a
popular symbol of the native country. Some
Belarusian oppositionists have proposed the
blue cornflower as a symbol for an anti-
Lukashenka revolt.

12. Homosexual Rights
• Lukashenka’s mentioning of ―blue‖ and
―blueness‖ appears to be a play on the semantic
connotations of these words, which in the post-
Soviet area denote homosexuality. –RFE/RL
• Lukashenka is probably taking a not-so-subtle
swipe at George Soros and his sinister “Open
Society” front groups. Soros has been
instrumental in fomenting pseudo-revolts
throughout Eastern Europe, as well as pushing
for “homosexual rights”

13. Colored Revolutions
• So ―colored revolution‖ is once again in the
air and in the press.
• And if past narratives of its prospects are
any indication, youth and youth
organizations will play a prominent and
decisive role.

14. Black and White
• Black and White movement in Philippines 2006
lacked critical mass, military, church, business
component and youth
• December 15/17, 2006 Thanksgiving Rally led by
Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and CBCP President
Arch. Angel N. Lagdameo of 50,000 people at Luneta.
El Shaddai, Jesus is Lord, Iglesia ni
Kristo, Protestants, Opposition, businessmen, stude
nts, etc.
• For the withdrawal of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo’s support of Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass)
and its archival by the House of Representatives led
by Speaker Jose de Venecia

15. Youth Revolutions
• How could anyone forget the scenes of
Pora’s activists occupying the streets in
the Ukraine?
• Or Kmara’s street protests in Georgia?
• Or KelKel’s organizing youths to vote in
Kyrgyzstan?
• In many ways colored revolutions are
youth revolutions

16. Zubr
• In fact, the Belarusian Opposition youth
organization Zubr (Bison) coined the label
―Denim Revolution‖ from the blue denim
that serves as its symbol. It is suspected
that Zubr has connections to Pora and
Kmara, thus, increasing the specter of
colored revolution. Over the last several
weeks Zubr activists have been subject to
arrest, imprisonment, searches, expulsion
from university, and physical attack.

17. Dictatorship to Democracy
• Judging from Zubr’s website, the only
documents that approach a program are
an activist manual (available only in
Russian) and a paper by Gene Sharp
called ―From Dictatorship to Democracy.‖
The paper is available in both English and
Belorussian.

18. Gene Sharp in Belarus
• Sharp’s essay lays out a broad strategy for
non-violent democratic political resistance.
• Its central problematic is developing a
strategy that stands firm against
dictatorships to prevent cooptation
• While at the same time developing
democratic consciousness through
activism.

19. Activist Manual
• The activist manual is a fascinating document. It lays out
the activist methodology and structure of Zubr. It gives
precise instructions and examples on organizing protest
actions.
• Like many youth groups, Zubr’s political ideology is
centered on a belief in the effectiveness of mass protest
and organizing, strong ties to non-government
organizations, the development of civil society, and
networking and participating in broad coalitions.
• These, according to the document, appear to be the
seeds of a democratic society. However, in the
meantime, their main concern is a Belarus without
Lukashenko.

20. Problem
• This is a general problem of many youth
based organizations in the Former Soviet
Union and in the anti-globalization
movement.
• Their politics are based in being reactive
rather than proactive.
• This is evident in the emphasis on protest
and resistance.

21. What if we win?
• This emphasis will eventually pose a question
that seems to have appeared in the Ukraine and
Georgia–what to do if they actually win?
• For the most part the question has split the
Ukraine’s Pora into two–a political party wing
and a watchdog wing.
• This is unlikely to be an immediate problem in
Belarus since most doubt the Opposition will be
able to unseat Lukashenko through electoral or
extra-electoral means.

22. Mass Protest as Fetish
• But the question is one that organizations
must consider.
• As anti-war and anti-globalization
movements in the West have
proved, mass protest has limits.
• A perpetual reliance on it, let alone
fetishizing it, can become
rote, predictable, and eventually
demoralizing.

23. Common Goals
• Democratic
• Secular
• Human rights, civil liberties
• Peaceful and non violent action
• Lately the goal to spread democracy to the
Middle East
• Lately Pro Islamic

24. Pre 2000
• Poland Solidarity Movement 1979
• Velvet Revolution in Czech Republic, 1989
• Yellow Revolution EDSA 1986
Observations:
• These revolutions cannot be repeated
• Needed follow up, or recapitulation
• Need vigilance of people and youth
because a continuing process

25. History of Non Violent Action
• India 1930-1931 Gandhi
• Struggle against Nazi in
Netherlands, Norway and
Denmark, improvised
• Norway 1942, teachers’ resistance
• Berlin 1943, non Jewish wives of Jews
• Latin America Civilian Insurrection
• Guatemala 1944, silent paralysis
• Czechoslovakia 1968, clandestine radio

26. Characteristics
• Pro Democracy, hyped towards
democracy, pro secular
• Post communist or post Soviet except
Lebanon
• Former communist or Soviet states in
Eastern Europe
• Pro human rights, civil rights
• Anti authoritarian
• Same time frame

27. Youth Driven, age 16-25
• Students in universities, studying
business, economics, psychology
• Young idealistic adults
• Advocacy of Foundation of George Soros,
born in former Eastern Europe, rich
philanthropist of Institute of Leadership
• Like an open university, studied leadership
and network with each other, supports and
monitors each other’s revolution

28. Non Violence Actionist
• Abided and followed non violence
movement of Mahatma Gandhi
• Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King
• Gene Sharp

29. Gene Sharp, 1928-
• 1949 Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences
Ohio State University
• 1951 Master of Arts in Sociology
• 1968 Doctor of Philosophy in political
theory Oxford University
• 1983 Honorary Doctor of Laws Manhattan
College
• 1996 Honorary Doctor of Humanitarian
Service Rivier College

30. Life Context
• Lived for ten years in England and Norway
• Advanced studies at Oxford
• Held positions University of Oslo and
Institute for Social Research in Norway

31. Harvard and Einstein
• From 1965 research
appointments, Harvard University Center
for International Affairs for thirty years
• Harvard professor emeritus, original
research
• Senior Scholar and Founder of Albert
Einstein Institution, Boston Massachusetts

32. University Research
• Professor emeritus of Political science
University of Massachusetts Darmouth
• 1983 Called Clausewitz of nonviolent
warfare
• Promote research, policy
studies, education on strategic uses of
nonviolent struggle in face of
dictatorship, war genocide and oppression

33. Classic Book
• 1960 Gandhi Wields the Weapon of Moral
Power foreword by Albert Einstein, first book
• 1973 The Politics of Non Violent
Action, Introduction by Thomas C.
Schelling, classic book, best seller, definitive
study of nonviolent struggle
• 1985 Making Europe
Unconquerable, foreword by George F.
Kennan, relevance of civilian based defense
for Western Europe

34. Post Soviet
• 1990 A Post-Military Weapons
System, organized nonviolent
noncooperation and defiance can deter
and defeat internal takeover and invasion
• Used in 1991 and 1992 by new
independent governments of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in planning
defense against Soviet efforts to regain
control

35. Indian Edition
• 1980 Social Power and Political Freedom,
introduction by Senator Mark O. Hatfield,
collection of political analysis
• 1979 Gandhi as a Political Strategist with
Essays on Ethics and Politics, introduction
by Coretta Scott King
• and 1999 Indian edition also foreword by
Federico Mayor, then UNESCO director
general

36. Co-Editor
• Co-editor, 1986, Resistance, Politics and
the American Struggle for
Independence, 1765-1775
• Co-editor, 1997, Non Violent Action: A
Research Guide
• Contributor to several encyclopedia

37. Extent of Influence
• The Power and Practice of Non Violent
Struggle, English translation in preparation
• Earlier edition in Tibetan published with
foreword by Dalai Lama
• From Dictatorship to Democracy, shorter
writing in
English, Burmese, Spanish, Korean, Indon
esian

38. Denounced
• Burmese edition denounced by Burmese
military dictators
• Indonesian edition carried foreword by
Abdurrahman Wahid, used to be president
of Indonesia
• Spanish translation circulates in Cuba
• Workshops and consultations in several
crisis situations

39. Author
• Books on nonviolent
struggle, power, political
problems, dictatorship, defense policy
• Published in English, and twenty seven
languages, including
Norwegian, German, French, Italian, Arabi
c, Hebrew, Tamil, Burmese, Korean, Thai,
Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese

40. Simplify
• Simplified presentation on nature of
nonviolent struggle
• Influenced strategy of resistance around
the world
• Non Violent fights against
―war, dictatorship, oppression, powerlessn
ess‖

41. Quotation
• Gene Sharp maintains that major unsolved
political problems of our time –
dictatorship, genocide, war, social
oppression and popular powerlessness –
• Require us to rethink politics in order to
develop fresh strategies and programs for
resolution.

42. Strategy
• Gene Sharp is convinced that
• pragmatic, strategically
planned, nonviolent struggle
• can be made highly effective
• for application in conflicts to life
oppression
• and as a substitute for violence.

43. Core Ideas
• World’s leading writer on non-violent
action
• Theory of power based on two ideas, e.i.
• One: Division between rulers and subjects
• Two: Withdrawing of consent as main
avenue for effecting political change

44. Bibliography
• Gene Sharp’s writings
(1970, 1973, 1979, 1980, 1985)
• Explicit statements Sharp (1973, pp.7-
62, 1980, pp. 21-67, 309-378)

45. Primary Sources
• The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973, a
classic book on strategy of political change
• Social Power and Political Freedom, 1980
• Gandhi as a Political Strategist, 1979
• Making Europe Unconquerable, 1985

46. System
• First, classified methods of non-violent
action
• and catalogued 198 different techniques
• along with extensive array of historical
examples
• in conceptual order of cluttered and
scattered experiences of and literature on
non violent actions

47. Framework
• Second, theory of power offers framework
for understanding how non-violent action
works
• Theory, methods, techniques and
dynamics

48. Core Idea I
• People in society are divided into rulers
and subject
• The power of rulers derives from consent
by the subjects
• Nonviolent action is a process of
withdrawing consent,
• and way to challenge key modern
problems of dictatorship, genocide, war
and systems of oppression

49. Two Key Concepts
• Ruler-subject classification. The ruler
includes not only chief executives but also
ruling groups and all bodies in command
of the state structure (1980, p. 22)
• State includes state bureaucracy, police
and military, all under the command of the
person or group which occupies the
position of ruler at head of state (1980, p.
11)

50. Subjects
• All others besides the rulers are subjects
• Political power is one type of social power,
• as totality of means, influences and
pressures, including authority, rewards
and sanctions available for use to achieve
objectives of power holder
• especially institutions of government, State
and groups opposing either of them
(1980, p. 27)

51. Monolithic versus Pluralistic
• Power is monolithic entity residing in
person or position of a ruler or ruling body
• Instead power is pluralistic, residing with
variety of groups and diversity of locations,
called loci of power
• Loci of power of ruler provide
countervailing force against power of ruler,
specially when numerous and widely
distributed.

52. Key Sources of Power
• Power is not intrinsic to rulers, it must
come from somewhere else
• Key sources of power, e.i.
• Authority
• Human resources
• Skills and knowledge
• Intangible factors, material resources and
sanctions (1973, pp 1112)

53. Core Idea 2 Consent
• Sources of ruler’s power depend intimately
upon obedience and cooperation of
subjects (1973, p. 12)
• Consent theory of power. Without consent
of the subjects, either their active support
or passive acquiescence, the ruler would
have little power and basis for rule

54. Obedience is key
• Power is contingent and
precarious, requiring cultivation of
cooperation and manipulation of
potentially antagonistic loci.
• Obedience is the key, the most important
single quality of any government, without
which it would not exist, -- the obedience
and submission of its subjects

55. Heart of Power
• Obedience is
at the heart of political power
(1973, p. 16)

56. Why do people obey?
• Habit
• Fear of sanctions
• Moral obligation
• Self interest, financial gains, prestige
• Psychological identification with ruler
• Zones of indifference
• Absence of self confidence among
subjects (1973, pp. 16-24)

57. Actionist/ Activist
• Non violent action constitutes a refusal by
subjects to obey
• Power of ruler will collapse if consent is
withdrawn in an active way
• Active is vital
• Ruler will not be threatened by
grumbling, alienation and critical analysis
alone, or passivity and submissiveness

58. Necessary
• Activity
• Challenge to authority
• Struggle of resistance (1973, p. 65)

59. Methods of Action
• Non violent methods of action include:
• Laying groundwork for action
• Making challenges
• Building discipline
• Building support
• Redistributing power

60. Summary of Gene Sharp
• Theory of power and practice
• Waging a non violent struggle
• Philosophy of how to work resistance
against repression in a non violent means

61. Dictatorship
• Dictatorial regime depends upon crucial
sources and uses of power (SUPR):
• Moral authority
• Obedience
• Cooperation from key people like
army, police, business and economic
system, bureaucracy, religions

62. Non Violent Actionists
• Key to bring down a tyrant
• Cut off sources and uses of power (SUPR)
• Good feeling beneficial to groups, society
• Effects of non violent education to take
hold
• Theory of peace: not merely a pacifist who
is passive, but active

63. Methods of Non Violent Action
• Protest and persuasion
• Social, economic and political
noncooperation
• Nonviolent intervention

64. Political Jiu-jitsu
• Strategy that uses strengths to attack
opponents’ weaknesses
• Phenomenon of political jui-jitsu, when too
much brutality result in unity and support
of opposition, while throwing ruler off
balance and weakening regime
• Example: creation of martyrs, sympathy of
third parties like formerly neutral foreign
countries and internal groups

65. People Power
• Feeling of empowerment evolves
• Within resisting groups during a campaign
• That brings increased self-esteem and
personal development

66. Conclusion
• Use of non violence disperses power
throughout society
• In contrast, violent struggles tend to
centralize power, creating callousness and
de-humanization

67. Three Ways to Victory: One
• One: Conversion of opponent to point of
view, winning hearts and minds is the only
true victory

68. Two: Accommodation
• Two: Accommodation occurs when
opponent does not agree with
resisters, but decides it is too costly to
continue the fight. Most common path to
victory.

69. Three: Call to action
• Third: Nonviolent coercion occurs when
opposition is forced to make concessions
against its will because power base has
been dissolved.
• Thus, even if nonviolent campaign is
unable to change adversary’s way of
thinking, it can wield power and influence
course of events

70. Questions
• Despite appearances to the contrary, rule
of dictators and other elite groups is
always weak and unstable
• Political power is never absolute, as long
as the dominated maintain their freedom
of will and will to freedom
• Even most ruthless leader depends on
cooperation and voluntary submission of
subjects

71. Mantra
• All power relationships are
interactive, mutually modulating, and
reciprocal
• When enough people withdraw support fpr
a long time, the power of the ruler
disintegrates.
• Power is real and symbolic as well

72. Monolithic Model of Power
•All power
resides at the
top
•Stucture is
unchanging
•People have no
input
•People must
obey
•People
dependent on
ruler

73. Pluralistic Model of Power
•Skills and
•Legitimacy Knowledge
•Numbers •Intangible
Factors
•Material
Wealth
•Sanctions

74. Pillars of Support
•Government
•Political Party
•Police
•Military
•Civil Servants
•Workers
•Media
Organization
•Other

75. Isolating from SUPR
•Non violent strategies •Pillars
push and pull pillars of
support away from ruler
•Opposition
•Center
•Core
•Ruler
•Pillars •Pillars

76. •Family
Loyalty Pie •Extended Family
•Religion
•Work
•Unions
•Professional
Organizations
•Social Groups
•Hobbies
•Political Parties
•Other
•Diagrams adapted from Robert L.
Helvey, On Strategic Non Violent Conflict:
Thinking about the Fundamentals

77. Recommendation
• David Hume, 18th century philosopher
wrote about the same concept in Essay 4:
Of the First Principles of Government
• Noam Chomsky refers to this point of view
as Hume’s paradox

78. One last thing…