Nonviolent resistance

Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving socio-political goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence.

The term passive resistance is a form of non-cooperation that is sometimes used imprecisely as a synonym for nonviolent resistance. It means resistance by inertia or refusal to comply, as opposed to resistance by active means such as protest or sabotage. Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi at Parihaka were early modern, passive-resistance organisers whose story is well documented in New Zealand literature.^[1]

Some of the well-known nonviolent resistance advocates include Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas Gandhi, Andrei Sakharov, Martin Luther King, Jr, Václav Havel, and Lech Wałęsa. Recently nonviolent resistance has led to the Rose Revolution in Georgia and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. People in Belarus, Cuba and other dictatorships continue non-violent resistance in their countries.

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, vigiling, leafletting, samizdat, magnitizdat, satyagraha, protest art, protest music and poetry, community education and consciousness raising, lobbying, tax resistance, noncompliance with rules and regulations, boycotts or sanctions, legal/diplomatic wrestling, sabotage of weapons, underground railroads, principled refusal of awards/honours, and general strikes.

From 1966 to 1999 nonviolent civic resistance has played a critical role in 50 of 67 transitions from authoritarianism.^[2]

History of nonviolent resistance

Dates	Country	Main Article	Summary	Refs
unknown	Iudaea	The Wars of the Jews Antiquities of the Jews	One of the earliest incidents of nonviolent resistance known to history is when Jews demonstrated in Caesarea to try to convince Pilate not to set up Roman standards, with images of the emperor and the eagle of Jupiter, in Jerusalem (both images would be considered idolatrous by religious Jews). Pilate surrounded the Jewish protesters with soldiers and threatened them with death to which they replied that they were quite willing to die rather than see the laws of the Torah violated.
Before 1500–1835	Chatham Islands New Zealand	Moriori	The Moriori were a branch of the New Zealand Māori that colonized the Chatham Islands and eventually became settles hunter-gatherers. Their lack of resources and scarce Moriori population made conventional war unsustainable, so it became customary to resolve disputes nonviolently or ritually.	[3][4][5]
1765–75	USA	American Revolution	Before the War for Independence started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the American Revolution was mostly nonviolent. revolutionary actions during the first ten years of the Revolution included:Tax resistance, boycotts of british imports, organization of committees of correspondence, petitions to the king and parliament, publication of pamphlets and newspapers.	[6][7]
1834–38	Trinidad	End of Slavery in Trinidad	The United Kingdom, then the colonial power in Trinidad, first announced in 1833 the impending total liberation of slaves by 1840. In 1834 at an address by the Governor at Government House about the new laws, an unarmed group of mainly elderly negroes began chanting: Pas de six ans. Point de six ans ("Not six years. No six years"), drowning out the voice of the Governor. Peaceful protests continued until the passing of a resolution to abolish apprenticeship and the achievement of de facto freedom.	[8][9]
1879–1880	Parihaka New Zealand	Parihaka	The Māori village of Parihaka became the center of passive resistance campaigns against Europeans occupying confiscated land in the area. More than 400 followers of the prophet Te Whiti o Rongomai were arrested and jailed, most without trial. Sentences as long as 16 months were handed out for the acts of ploughing land and erecting fences on their property. More than 2000 inhabitants remained seated when 1600 armed soldiers raided and destroyed the village.	[10]
1908–62	Savai'i	Mau movement	The Mau movement was the name given to the popular nonviolent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule in the early 20th century.	[11][12]
1919. 2.8, 3.1	Korea	March 1st Movement	This movement became the inspiration of the later Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's Satyagraha—resistance and many other non-violent movement in Asia.	[13]
1919–22	Egypt	Egyptian Revolution of 1919	A countrywide non-violent revolution against the British occupation of Egypt. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of revolutionary leader Saad Zaghlul and other members of the Wafd Party in 1919. The event led to Egyptian independence in 1922 and the implementation of a new constitution in 1923.
1919–21	Ireland	Irish Non-cooperation movement	During the Irish War of Independence, nationalists used many non-violent means to resist British rule. Amongst these was abstention from the British parliament, tax boycotts, and the creation of a local government, local court system, and local police force.	[14]
1919–present	Palestine	Mubarak Awad First Intifada	Palestinian groups have worked with Israelis and foreign citizens to organize civilian monitors of Israel military activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Peace camps and strategic non-violent resistance to Israeli construction of settlements and of the West Bank Barrier have also been consistently adopted as tactics by Palestinians. Citizens of the Palestinian village of Beit Sahour also engaged in a tax strike during the First Intifada.
1920–22	British India	Non-cooperation movement	A series of nationwide people's movements of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) and the Indian National Congress. In addition to bringing about Independence, Gandhi's nonviolence also helped improve the status of the Untouchables in Indian religion and society.
1923	Germany	The Occupation of the Ruhr	With the aim of occupying the centre of German coal, iron, and steel production in the Ruhr area valley; France invaded Germany for neglecting some of its reparation payments after World War I. The occupation of the Ruhr was initially greeted by a campaign of passive resistance.
1930–34	British India	Civil disobedience movement	Nonviolent resistance marked by rejecting British imposed taxes, boycotting British manufactured products and mass strikes, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) and the Indian National Congress.
1933–45	Germany	German Resistance	Throughout World War II, there were a series of small and usually isolated groups that used nonviolent techniques against Hitler and the Nazi Party. These groups include The White Rose and the Confessional Church.
1940–43	Denmark	Danish resistance movement	During World War II, after the invasion of the Wehrmacht, the Danish government therefore adopted a policy of official co-operation (and unofficial obstruction) which they called "negotiation under protest." Embraced by many Danes, the unofficial resistance included slow production, emphatic celebration of Danish culture and history, and bureaucratic quagmires.
1940–45	Norway	Norwegian resistance movement	During World War II, Norwegian civil disobedience included preventing the Nazification of Norway's educational system, distributing of illegal newspapers, and maintaining social distance(an "ice front") from the German soldiers.
1942	British India	Quit India Movement	The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan or the August Movement) was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence.
1945–71	South Africa	Defiance Campaign Internal resistance to South African apartheid	The ANC and allied anti-apartheid groups initially carried out non-violent resistance against pro-segregation and apartheid governments in South Africa.
1955–68	USA	African-American Civil Rights Movement Chicano Civil Rights Movement Mass protest in the United States	Tactics of nonviolent resistance, such as bus boycotts, freedom rides, sit-ins and mass demonstrations, were used duing the African American Civil Rights Movement. This movement succeeded in bringing about legislative change; and making separate seats, drinking fountains, and schools for African Americans illegal.	[15][16]
1957–present	USA	Committee for Non-Violent Action	Among the most dedicated to nonviolent resistance against the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons has been the Plowshares Movement, consisting largely of Catholic priests, such as Dan Berrigan, and nuns. Since the first Plowshares action in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania during the autumn of 1980, more than 70 of these actions have taken place.	[17][18][19]
1959–present	Cuba	Cuban opposition since 1959	There have been many nonviolent activisits in opposition to Cuba's rulers Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro. Among these are Pedro Luis Boitel (1931-1972), Guillermo Fariñas Hernández ("El Coco"), and Jorge Luis García Pérez (known as Antúnez), all of whom have performed hunger strikes.	[20][21][22]
1968	Worldwide	Protests of 1968	The protests that raged throughout 1968 were for the most part student led. World wide, campuses became the front-line battle grounds for social change. While opposition to the Vietnam War dominated the protests, students also protested for civil liberties, against racism, for feminism, and the beginnings of the ecological movement can be traced to the protests against biological and nuclear weapons during this year.	[23]
1970–81	France	Resistance at The Casusse du Larzac	In response to an expansion of a military base, local farmers including José Bové and other supporters including Lanza del Vasto took part in nonviolent resistance. The military expansion was cancelled after ten years of resistance.
1980–present	Poland	Solidarity Orange Alternative	Solidarity, a broad anti-communist social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-communist Left, advocated non-violence in its members' activities. Additionally, the Orange Alternative offered a wider group of citizens an alternative way of opposition against the communist regime by means of a peaceful protest that used absurd and nonsensical elements.	[24][25][26]
1987–90	Estonia	Singing Revolution	A cycle of mass demonstrations featuring spontaneous singing in Tallinn. The movement eventually collected 300,000 Estonians who sang national songs and hymns, which were strictly forbidden during the years of the Soviet occupation, as Estonian rock musicians played. In later years, people acted as human shields to protect radio and TV stations from the Soviet tanks, eventually regaining Estonia's independence without any bloodshed.	[27]
1989	Czechoslovakia	Velvet Revolution	During the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovakian citizens responded to the attack on their sovereignty with passive resistance. Russian troops were frustrated as street signs were painted over, their water supplies mysteriously shut off, and buildings decorated with flowers, flags, and slogans like, "An elephant cannot swallow a hedgehog."
1989	People's Republic of China	Mohism Tiananmen Square protests of 1989	The Mohist philosophical school disapproved war. However, since they lived in a time of warring polities, they cultivated the science of fortification. During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, an unknown man was famously photographed putting himself in the way of a column of tanks.
1989–90	East Germany	Monday demonstrations in East Germany	The Monday demonstrations in East Germany in 1989 and 1990 (German: Montagsdemonstrationen) were a series of peaceful political protests against the authoritarian government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) of East Germany that took place every Monday evening.
1990–91	Azerbaijan SSR	Black January	A crackdown of Azeri protest demonstrations by the Soviet army in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR. The demonstrators protested against ethnic violences, demanded the ousting of Azerbaijani communist officials and called for independence from the Soviet Union.
2004–05	Israel	Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004	In Israel, protesters opposing Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004 non violently resisted impending evacuations of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. At 5 PM on May 16, 2005, protesters blocked several traffic intersections, resulting in massive gridlock and delays throughout Israel. And while Israeli police had received advance notice of the action, opening traffic intersections proved extremely difficult. Eventually, over 400 demonstrators were arrested, including many juveniles. Protest organizers regarded these events as an opening volley. Further large demonstrations planned to commence when Israeli authorities, preparing for disengagement, cut off access to the Gaza Strip. During the confrontation, mass civil disobedience failed to emerge in Israel proper. However, some settlers and their supporters resisted evacuation non-violently.
2004–2005	Ukraine	Orange Revolution	A series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was marred by massive corruption, voter intimidation and direct electoral fraud.Nationwide, the democratic revolution was highlighted by a series of acts of civil disobedience, sit-ins, and general strikes organized by the opposition movement.
2009–present	Iran	2009 Iranian election protests	A series of protests and political events that took place in Iran after the initial vote in the 2009 Iranian presidential election, which opposition supporters decried as fraudulent. Opposition leaders have taken pains to push for non-violent and peaceful demonstrations, including days of mourning for people attacked by police during the protests.	[28]

Current and recent nonviolent resistance organizations

• Albert Einstein Institution [US]
• Bil'in http://www.bilin-village.org/english/ (West Bank)
• Christian Liberation Movement (Cuba)
• Kifaya (Egypt)
• Kmara (Georgia)
• Ladies in White (Cuba)
• Mjaft (Albania)
• Otpor (Serbia)
• Parihaka (New Zealand)
• Pora (Ukraine)
• Project Chanology (Worldwide)
• Project Nonviolence (Brasil)
• Rachad (Algeria)
• Russian School Defense Staff (Latvia)
• Southern Christian Leadership Conference (U.S.)
• Varela Project (Cuba)
• Zubr (Belarus)
• Yo No Coopero Con La Dictadura (Cuba)

See also

• Christian nonviolence
• Civil disobedience
• Direct Action
• Economic secession
• Industrial action
• Internet resistance
• Nonresistance
• Nonviolent revolution
• Nonviolence
• Pacifism
• Passive obedience
• Rebellion
• Tax resistance

Publications

• M K Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha)
• The ACTivist Magazine
• Gene Sharp, Politics of Nonviolent Action (Parts 1 - 3)
• 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

Notes and References