passive resistance

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passive resistance

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

passive resistance a method of nonviolent protest against laws or policies in order to force a change or secure concessions; it is also known as nonviolent resistance and is the main tactic of civil disobedience . Passive resistance typically involves such activities as mass demonstrations, refusal to obey or carry out a law or to pay taxes, the occupation of buildings or the blockade of roads, labor strikes, economic boycotts, and similar activities.

Possibly originating with the Quakers, it was adopted by Africans, Indians, and U.S. civil-rights and anti-Vietnam War protesters. Among its most articulate advocates have been Gandhi , who maintained that action needs to be accompanied by love and a willingness to search for the truth, and Martin Luther King , Jr., who called for "tough-mindedness and tenderheartedness." Two of the most massive examples of passive resistance were the Solidarity movement in Poland (1980-81) and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia (1989). Opponents of passive resistance as a means of forcing a change in policy have criticized it for potentially fostering a general disrespect for law that could result in anarchy.

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passive resistance

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

pas·sive re·sist·ance • n. nonviolent opposition to authority, esp. a refusal to cooperate with legal requirements: they called for protest in the form of passive resistance.

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passive resistance

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | © A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

passive resistance Non-violent opposition to a ruling authority or government. It frequently involves a refusal to cooperate with the authorities or a defiant breach of laws and regulations and has been a major weapon of many nationalist, resistance, and social movements in modern times. One of the most successful campaigns was that waged by Mahatma GANDHI against British rule in India, when widespread civil disturbances and protests persuaded the British to make major concessions. Gandhi's example was an inspiration for the CIVIL RIGHTS movement in the USA from the 1950s, where passive resistance, large-scale demonstrations, and the deliberate breaking of segregation laws brought considerable improvements for the black population.
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