History
Where historians have been closely allied to established oppressive systems and ruling elites, and have allowed that alliance to influence their writings, their neglect of nonviolent forms of struggle may be traced to consideration of the best interest of the ruling majority.
- Gene Sharp
While history is littered with the dates of conquests and defeats on the battlefield and the exploits of the great military commanders, the methods of struggle available to and commonly used by ordinary people to reign in the excesses of rulers have been less well documented.
Some, like Sharp, see this neglect as a natural consequence of the interests of historians being allied to those of powerful elites. It could be argued that today, the mainstream media continue the pattern of ignoring or reframing the success of nonviolent struggles as the product of economic, political or military forces beyond the influence of ordinary people.
Much of the history of nonviolence presented here relates to movements of the 20th century - however, a true history of nonviolence would take us on a much deeper journey into the past, to the Plebeian withdrawal from Rome in 494 BC and beyond.
Resources:
The Story of the Australian Nonviolence Network by Peter Jones et al
A history of nonviolent activism in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s, with particular attention to the development of the Australian Nonviolence Network.
The Koori History Website by Gary Foley
Documents the history of Koori activism from the 1920s to the present. Features an extensive collection of images and newspaper clippings of events including the 1936 Day of Mourning, the 1965 Freedom Rides and the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972.
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Images, stories and interviews from veterans of the US Civil Rights movement.
A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict
A companion website to the television documentary of the same name. Tells the story of nonviolent resistance to oppression during the 20th century.
The Idea of Nonviolence by Ira Chernus
This on-line book explores the movements and thinkers that have influenced nonviolent activism in the United States, from the Anabaptists to Thich Nat Hanh.
Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau's historic treatise on resistance to unjust laws.
Letter From a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King
Dr. King's letter in response to the criticism of conservative church leaders - a powerful statement of his rationale for nonviolent direct action.
Nonviolent Resistance in the Islamic World by Stephen Zunes
A brief history of Islamic nonviolent struggles, including the Iranian revolution of 1979, the first Palistinian Intifida and the overthrow of the Suharto regime in Indonesia.