What kind of activism is for me?

Gene Sharp identified  198 distinct methods of nonviolent action. These methods are detailed in his book, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, and are categorised into three broad groups: nonviolent protest and persuasion, non-cooperation, and nonviolent intervention.

Download our 198 methods checklist. How many methods have you been involved with?

You might also be interested in the Global Nonviolent Action Database which provides free access to information about hundreds of cases of nonviolent action for learning and for citizen action. The cases are drawn from all continents and most countries  and record and analyse the struggle for human rights, economic justice, democracy, national and ethnic identity, environmental sustainability, and peace. Cases are scored against whether or not they met their goals, which of Gene Sharp’s 198 methods were used and who was involved.

Talking points

1. What does the word activism mean to you?
2. What different ways have you engaged in nonviolent direct action? How many can you tick off the list of 198 methods created by Gene Sharp?
3. Are there some methods of activism missing from the list of 198 methods created by Gene Sharp?
4. What would you add on?
5. What forms of activism do you think have the greatest impact?

Read

These books on our reading list explore some of these methods in real campaigns across the world.

In the Collection – pamphlets and periodicals

These are just a few of the many pamphlets and periodicals in the Commonweal Collection. Most pamphlets are available to borrow, the periodicals are reference only.

ARROW Two Years On
ARROW (Active Resistance to the Roots of War) was a nonviolent direct action (NVDA) group committed to civil disobedience against war and what leads to war. They carried out actions against Western military intervention in other countries, against the arms trade and against British militarism including Britain’s nuclear arsenal. These 20 interviews with ARROW members provide first hand accounts of the different actions they took.

Classification: Bw ARR Anti-Militarist Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

Faslane 365 Resource Pack

A handbook for those taking action in a year long civil resistance movement at the Trident nuclear base at Faslane. Contents include the rationale for the campaign along with the practicalities of blockades and other direct action.

Classification: Bo FAS Peace Camps PAMPHLET check it’s available here. You can also read it online here.

Introduction to Non-violence
“Introduction to Non-Violence” by Theodore Paullin is a scholarly work written in 1944 and published by the Philadelphia Pacifist Research Bureau. It examines the principles and applications of non-violent action, focusing on its historical contexts and theoretical underpinnings within pacifism. The pamphlet describes nonviolent strategies, explores their effectiveness, and engages in a critical discussion regarding the definitions and classifications associated with nonviolence, thereby offering insights applicable to contemporary social issues.

Classification: B PAU Nonviolence in Action – General – PAMPHLET check it’s available here. You can also read it online here.

My conscience, my tax
Ever since George Fox chose to remain in prison rather than accept a commission in the Commonwealth Army, Quakers have repeatedly been challenged to find ways to live out a commitment to peace within a militarised society. These are the individual stories of 20 Friends who have taken action about the taxes they pay which go to military purposes.

Classification: Bv QUA Military Tax Resistance PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

No Bunkers Here
At 7pm on a cold and wet winter’s evening in January 1982, groups of CND supporters from many parts of Mid Glamorgan assembled on Bridgend Industrial Estate. Their object was to try and prevent the building of what became known as the Mid Glamorgan “super-bunker”, to be paid for out of their
rates. Their method was to occupy the site and mount a continuous ‘picket for peace’ to inform people what was going on and try to prevent the contract proceeding by nonviolent means.

Classification: Bx SIM Anti-Nuclear Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

Nonviolence works!
This pamphlet from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, gives 60 examples of successful nonviolent campaigns for social and political change from the 20th century such as Gandhi’s campaigns for Indian rights in Transvaal and the nonviolent successes of the US Civil Rights movement.

Classification: Bh BAP Historical examples of Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here. You can also read it online here.

The Polish Summer by Robert Polet
The Polish Summer: Worker’s Victories and Popular Nonviolent Civilian Defence describes how in 1980 Polish workers organised themselves to protect fundamental freedoms, personal and social responsibilities and economic choices using methods belonging to the “arsenal of nonviolent defence”.

Classification: Bd POL East European/Anti-Soviet NVA PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

Rent Strike St Pancras 1960 
In January 1960 over 2,000 council tenants in the borough of St Pancras were on partial rent strike in opposition to the differential rent scheme introduced by the Conservative council. This pamphlet looks at the causes and the history of the rent strike and the part played by various organisations both in the tenants’ movement and against it.

Classification: Bm BUR Housing Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here. You can also read it online here.

Resistance in Norway
A 1945 pamphlet by Norwegian engineer, entrepreneur, and resistance fighter Diderich Lund, published by the War Resisters’ International and describing the Norwegian resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II. The text details various acts of courage and ingenuity employed by Norwegians to oppose the occupation, from non-violent resistance to sabotage.

Classification: Bj PLE Anti-Fascist Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

Shanti Sena
This pamphlet by Vinoba Bhave describes Gandhi’s vision of a nonviolent volunteer peacekeeping programme dedicated to minimizing communal violence within the Indian population. The words “Shanti” and “Sena” both come from Sanskrit meaning “peace army”, or a drilled band of men. In 1968, Shanti Sena provided a crucial mediation role between the Indian government, Hindus, Muslims, students, and the intellectual community in preventing violence and working towards rehabilitation.

Classification: Be VIN Shanti Sena PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

Unarmed against Fascism
Describes how Norwegians used widespread nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience to counter the German occupation during World War II, rather than engaging in armed conflict. The resistance involved symbolic acts like wearing paperclips, boycotts, mass resignations from the church and courts, and the dissemination of information through illegal radio and secret newspapers.

Classification: Bj JAM Anti-Fascist Nonviolence PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

What do we do after we’ve shown ‘The War Game’
A guide to organising from 1982. Contents include starting a group from scratch, influencing and mobilising individuals and influencing organisations and the people who run them.

Classification: Jd PLE Peace Organising PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

How to search the Collection

The online catalogue includes all the books, pamphlets and periodicals in the Collection.
Column 1: Select title, or classmark eg B for Nonviolence in Action – General.
Column 2: Enter search term
Column 3: Select “Commonweal Collection”

Contribute

To share a book that has inspired you email commonwealoutreach@peacemuseum.org.uk. Your suggestions will feature on our website and social media, and also help us to identify gaps in the Collection.