Egypt's Revolution: Civil Disobedience Defies British Rule
The concept of nonviolent civil disobedience as a political tool emerged independently in several traditions but achieved its most dramatic successes in the 20th century. Henry David Thoreau coined the term in his 1849 essay, but it was Gandhi who transformed it into a mass political weapon during the Indian independence movement, beginning with the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. The American civil rights movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr., adapted Gandhi's methods for the desegregation struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. The Velvet Revolution of 1989 in Czechoslovakia demonstrated that nonviolent resistance could topple a communist government. Research by Erica Chenoweth has shown that nonviolent resistance campaigns succeed twice as often as violent ones, because they attract broader participation.
June 7, 1893
133 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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