The Paradox of Repression and Nonviolent Movements

Lee A. Smithey, Lester R. Kurtz

Political repression often paradoxically fuels rather than undermines popular movements and resistance. When authorities respond to strategic nonviolent action with intimidation, coercion, and violence, they often undercut their own legitimacy, precipitating significant reforms or even governmental overthrow. Repression of a movement is often a turning point in its history: Bloody Sunday in the March to Selma led to the passage of civil rights legislation by the US Congress, and the Amritsar Massacre in India showed the world the injustice of the British Empire's use of force in maintaining control over its colonies. Activists from a wide range of movements engage in nonviolent strategies of repression management that can result in higher costs to repressors. The Paradox of Repression and Nonviolent Movements brings scholars and activists together to discuss significant cases of this phenomenon and its multiple dimensions, including the relational nature of nonviolent struggle and the cultural terrain on which it takes place, the psychological costs for agents of repression, and the importance of participation, creativity, and courage--whether in the streets or online--back cover.