Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice And 21st Century Potential - Softcover

Sharp, Gene; Paulson, Joshua

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0875581625 ISBN 13: 9780875581620

Publisher: Extending Horizons Books, 2005

Synopsis

"Instructs how to strategically plan nonviolent action, a technique of waging conflict that uses protest, noncooperation and intervention. Draws parallels between nonviolent and military strategy. Documents twenty-three cases showing how nonviolent action has been applied to conflicts throughout the world in the twentieth century"--Provided by publisher.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Today's world is in desperate need of realistic alternatives to violent conflict. Nonviolent action—properly planned and executed—is a powerful and effective force for political and social change. Recently, advocates have applied nonviolent methods and strategies with great success in Serbia and Ukraine. Waging Nonviolent Struggle builds on 50 years of Dr. Sharp’s definitive academic research and practical experience aiding nonviolent struggles around the world. It breaks new ground about how to strategically plan nonviolent action and make it more effective. Dr. Sharp and his team of scholars document lessons learned firsthand, from Tiananmen Square to the Latvian Supreme Council, and from witnesses to the freedom riders in Alabama and the anti-Nazi resistance in Norway. Building on the power analysis of his seminal Politics of Nonviolent Action, Dr. Sharp coherently integrates his theories into praxis, with a vitality tested on the frontlines, often under extreme violence. Any serious student—or practitioner—of nonviolent struggle will find this book an invaluable resource. Skeptics will be compelled to seriously consider nonviolent action as a tried, tested and proven alternative to both passivity and violence.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gene Sharp is Senior Scholar at the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1965 he held research appointments in Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs for nearly thirty years. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Dr. Sharp has been called "the Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare" and "the Machiavelli of nonviolence." He founded the Albert Einstein Institution in 1983 to promote research, policy studies, and education on the strategic uses of nonviolent struggle in the face of dictatorships, war, genocide, and oppression.

He holds the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in political theory from Oxford University (1968), and a Master of Arts in Sociology (1951) and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (1949) from Ohio State University. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received other honors. He lived for ten years in England and Norway. He did advanced studies at Oxford University and in Norway he held positions at the University of Oslo and the Institute for Social Research.

Dr. Sharp is the author of various books and many other publications on nonviolent struggle, power, political problems, liberation struggle, dictatorships, and defense policy. His writings have been published in 32 languages. His books include The Politics of Nonviolent Action (1973; Introduction by Thomas C. Schelling), Making Europe Unconquerable (1985; Foreword by George F. Kennan), Civilian-Based Defense (1990), Social Power and Political Freedom (1980; Introduction by Senator Mark O. Hatfield), and Gandhi as a Political Strategist (1979 and 1999; Introduction by Coretta Scott King and Foreword by Frederico Mayor). Sharp’s The Power and Practice of Nonviolent Struggle (in Tibetan; 1999) carried a Foreword by the Dalai Lama.

His first book, Gandhi Wields the Weapon of Moral Power (1960), included a Foreword by Albert Einstein and an Introduction by Bharatan Kumarappa. Sharp is also co-editor of Resistance, Politics, and the American Struggle for Independence (1986) and of Nonviolent Action: A Research Guide (1997), as well as a contributor to several encyclopedias.

His recent shorter writings include "From Dictatorship to Democracy" (available in 12 languages; 1993, 2002, and 2003), "The Anti-Coup" (co-author; 2003), and "There Are Realistic Alternatives" (2003).

Dr. Sharp has prepared simplified presentations on the nature of nonviolent struggle and its applications against dictatorships and coups d’état. He has conducted workshops and consulted on strategic nonviolent struggle internationally in severe crisis situations.

He is convinced that pragmatic, strategically planned nonviolent struggle can be made highly effective for application in conflicts to lift oppression and as a substitute for violence.

Edition details

• Publisher: Extending Horizons Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0875581625
• ISBN 13: 9780875581620
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 598