Does non-violence work?

Introduced by veteran socialist activist, historian and writer Mick Armstrong.

Activists who fight for social justice and equality face a very violent system. Gandhi’s famous campaign for Indian independence, the battle to bring down the South African apartheid system, and the movement for civil rights in the US: these movements were motivated partly by horror at the violence meted out to the oppressed, and all are commonly seen as examples of non-violent movements that changed the world. But these movements also had to respond to violent repression from the powerful, and the apparently simple commitment to non-violence was a controversial and complicated question.

Readings

Sandra Bloodworth, Nonviolent civil disobedience: myths and facts, Red Flag

https://redflag.org.au/index.php/node/6917

Tithi Bhattacharya, What do socialists say about violence?

https://socialistworker.org/2010/12/03/what-we-say-about-violence