Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Gene Sharp
Published by Porter Sargent Publishers
11 Beacon Street
Boston, Ma 02108
A. Sources of Power
1. Authority
2 Human Resources
3. Skills and knowledge
4. Intangible factors
5. Material resources
6. sanctions
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"The most important single quality of any government, without which it would not exist, must
be the obedience and submission of its subjects. Obedience is at the heart of political power. The
relationships between the ruler and the subjects, and even the ancient question of why some men
obey other men, therefore becomes relevant to our analysis."
"Many people assume that the issuance of a command and its execution form a single, more or
less automatic operation and therefore that the wielding of political power is an entirely one way
relationship... the relationship between command and obedience is always one of mutual
influence and some degree of interaction-which is "mutually determined" action involving a two
sided relationship between the ruler and the subjects." (page 17)
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2. Popular noncooperation
India
The Soviet Union
D. Toward a technique of control of political power
D. Gandhi's contribution
1. Vykaom_1924-25
2. Gandhi's theory of power
3. India-1930-31
E. Struggles against the Nazis
1. Norway-1942
2. Berlin-1943
Continuous development
A. Czechoslovakia-1968
Seeking Insight
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THE METHODS OF NONVIOLENT ACTION
POLITICAL JIU-JITSU AT WORK
The Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion
Formal Statements
1. Public speeches
2. Letters of opposition or support
3. Declarations by organizations and institutions
4. Signed public statements
5. Declarations of indictment and intention
6. Group or mass petitions
Group representations
13. Deputations
14. Mock awards
15. Group lobbying
16. Picketing
17. Mock elections
Symbolic Public Acts
18. Displays of flags and symbolic colors
19. Wearing of symbols
20. Prayer and worship
21. Delivering of symbolic objects
22. Protest disrobings
23. Destruction of own property
24. Symbolic lights
25. Display of portraits
26. Paint as protest
27. New signs and names
28. Symbolic sounds
29. Symbolic reclamations
30. Rude gestures
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Pressure on individuals
31. "Haunting" officials
32. Taunting officials
33. Fraternization
34. Vigils
Processions
38. Marches
39. Parades
40. Religious processions
41. Pilgrimages
42. Motorcades
Public assemblies
47. Assemblies of protest or support
48. Protest meetings
49. Camouflaged meetings of protest
50. Teach-ins
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57. Lysistratic nonaction
58. Excommunication
59. Interdict
Action by middlemen
80. Supplier's and handler's boycott
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Action by owners and management
81. Trader's boycott
82. Refusal to let or sell property
83. Lockout
84. Refusal of industrial assistance
85. Merchants "general strike"
Action by governments
92. Domestic embargo
93. Blacklisting of traders
94. International seller's embargo
95. International buyers embargo
96. International trade embargo
Symbolic strikes
97. Protest strike
98. Quickie walkout(Lightening strike)
Agricultural strikes
99. Peasant strikes
100. Farm workers' strike
Restricted Strikes
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108. Detailed strike
109. Bumper strike
110. Slowdown strike
111. Working-to-rule strike
112. Reporting "sick"(Sick-in)
113. Strike by resignation
114. Limited strike
115. Selective strike
Multi-Industry Strikes
116. generalized strike
117. General strike
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138. Sitdown
139. Noncooperation with conscription and deportation
140. Hiding, escape and false identities
141. Civil disobedience of "illegitimate" laws
Physical intervention
162. Sit-in
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163. Stand-in
164. Ride-in
165. Wade-in
166. Mill-in
167. Pray-in
168. Nonviolent raids
169. Nonviolent air raids
170. Nonviolent invasion
171. Nonviolent interjection
172. Nonviolent obstruction
173. Nonviolent occupation
Social Intervention
174. Establishing new social patterns
175. Overloading of facilities
176. Stall-in
177. Speak-in
178. Guerilla theater
179. Alternative social institutions
180. Alternative communication system
Economic Intervention
181. Reverse strike
182. Stay-in strike
183. Nonviolent land seizure
184. Defiance of blockades
185. Politically motivated counterfeiting
186. Preclusive purchasing
187. Seizure of assets
188. Dumping
189. Selective patronage
190. Alternative markets
191. Alternative transportation systems
192. Alternative economic institutions
Political Intervention
193. Overloading of administrative systems
194. Disclosing identities of secret agents
195. Seeking imprisonment
196. Civil disobedience of "neutral laws".
197. Work-on without collaboration
198. Dual sovereignty and parallel government
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THE DYNAMICS OF
NONVIOLENT ACTION
Laying the groundwork for nonviolent action
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C. The choice of weapons
D. Selecting the strategy and tactics
The ultimatum
Repression
A. Control of communications and information
B. Psychological pressures
C. Confiscation
D. Economic sanctions
E. Bans and Prohibitions
F. Arrests and imprisonments
G. Exceptional restrictions
H. Direct physical violence
Persistence
Facing brutalities
A. Official and unofficial brutalities
B. Remaining firm
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Inhibiting repression
The opponent prefers violence
The need for nonviolent behavior
How violence weakens the movement
Sabotage and nonviolent action
Other ways to slip into violence
The necessity of discipline
Promoting nonviolent discipline
Refusal to hate
The inefficacy of repression
A. Arresting leaders is inadequate
B. Repression measures may become new points of resistance
Political Jiu-Jitsu
Winning over uncommitted third parties
A. International indignation
B. Factors determining the impact of third party opinion
C. The future of third-party support
Accommodation
A. Violent repression seen as inappropriate
B. Getting rid of a nuisance
C. Adjusting to opposition in his own group
D. Minimizing economic losses
E. Bowing gracefully to the inevitable
Nonviolent coercion
A. The concept of nonviolent coercion
B. Withdrawing the sources of political power
1. Authority
2. Human resources
3. Skills and knowledge
4. Intangible factors
5. Material resources
6. Sanctions
C. Some factors influencing nonviolent coercion
A successful conclusion?
A. The risk and nature of defeat
B. A draw of interim settlement
C. Success
D. Toward a genuine solution
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B. Learning a technique which reveals one's power
C. Increased fearlessness
D. Increased self-esteem
E. Bringing satisfaction, enthusiasm and hope
F. Effects on aggression, masculinity, crime and violence
G. Increased group unity
H. Increased internal cooperation
I. Contagion
J. Conclusion
11/1/95
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