Bibliotheken Online

Nonviolent revolutions

civil resistance in the late 20th century

Sharon Erickson Nepstad

Buch

englisch

Nepstad, Sharon Erickson (Verfasser/-in) DNB

Oxford studies in culture & politics

Oxford University Press

Oxford [u.a.]

2011

xviii, 178 p.

978-0-19-977821-8

Includes bibliographical references (p. [163]-174) and index.

china
history
east germany
revolutions
philippines

Contents:
Nonviolent power and revolutionary change -- Nonviolent revolts against socialist regimes -- The Tiananmen tragedy and the failed uprising in China -- The collapse of the East German State -- Nonviolent revolts against military regimes -- Panama's struggle for democracy -- Ousting General Pinochet -- Nonviolent revolts against personal dictatorships -- Kenya'sstruggle against the Moi dictatorship -- The Philippines' "bloodless revolution" -- Conclusion : how civil resistance works.
Summary:


In the spring of 1989, Chinese workers and students captured global attention as they occupied Tiananmen Square, demanded political change, and were tragically suppressed by the Chinese army. Months later, East German civilians rose up nonviolently, brought down the Berlin Wall, and dismantled their regime. Although both movements used tactics of civil resistance, their outcomes were different. Why? In Nonviolent Revolutions, Sharon Erickson Nepstad examines these and other uprisings in Panama, Chile, Kenya, and the Philippines. Taking a comparative approach that includes both successful and failed cases of nonviolent resistance, Nepstad analyzes the effects of movements' strategies along with the counter-strategies regimes developed to retain power. She shows that a significant influence on revolutionary outcomes is security force defections, and explores the reasons why soldiers defect or remain loyal and the conditions that increase the likelihood of mutiny. She then examines the impact of international sanctions, finding that they can at times harm movements by generating new allies for authoritarian leaders or by shifting the locus of power from local civil resisters to international actors. Nonviolent Revolutions offers essential insights into the challenges that civil resisters face and elucidates why some of these movements failed. With a recent surge of popular uprisings across the Middle East, this book provides a valuable new understanding of the dynamics and potency of civil resistance and nonviolent revolt.

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