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> The world has been shaped by power and wars […] Yes it has. It has also been shaped by non-violent methods, e.g., one of the biggest being the fall of Commu
by throw0101b 2y ago
> The world has been shaped by power and wars […]
Yes it has.
It has also been shaped by non-violent methods, e.g., one of the biggest being the fall of Communism, which was done without wars and those without power in: Poland (Solidarity); the Baltic countries (Singing revolution); Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (Baltic Way); Czechoslovakia (Velvet Revolution).
It was done in the Philippines (People Power Revolution), etc.
- wslh 2y ago> It has also been shaped by non-violent methods, e.g., one of the biggest being the fall of Communism, which was done without wars and those without power... That said, I believe you are tackling some highly complex topics here. Have you explored well-researched studies, such as “The Strategic Defense Initiative and the End of the Cold War” [1]? [1] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36697931.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36697931.pdf
- throw0101c 2y agoCommunism is just one example, and is multi-faceted (e.g., internal Soviet/Communist economies), which is why I also mentioned People Power. Chenoweth's book has a myriad of peer-reviewed references and a list of ~600 movements since 1900. There are a lot of folks in this discussion—many of whom I suspect are Americans and may have a particular (historical) view of how to gain "freedom"—who seem to jump to the 'violent struggle' path. I'm simply pointing out references that support the possibility that is not the only path, and other ones may actually be better, especially in more recent decades (as opposed to what happened hundred-plus years ago).
- wslh 2y agoNon-violence as a guiding principle is noble and inspiring, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for robust defensive measures.