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The Power of Nonviolence

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The Power of Nonviolence - 1 - The Power of Nonviolence. The Power of Nonviolence By Richard B. Gregg “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.” - Mahatma Gandhi Foreword By Martin Luther King, Jr. GREENLEAF BOOKS Canton, Maine - 2 - The Power of Nonviolence. COPYRIGHT Q 1935 BY RICHARD B. GREGG. SECOND REVISED EDITION COPYRIGHT Q 1959 BY RICHARD B. GREGG SECOND REVISED EDITION 1960 * *(also called Third Edition) By RICHARD B. GREGG Other works of Richard B. Gregg The Power of Nonviolence A Discipline for Nonviolence The Self Beyond Yourself A Philosophy of Indian Economic Development Which Way Lies Hope? The Big Idol What's I t Al l About and What Am I? Primer of Companion Planting, 1981 reprint by Bio-Dynamic Literature, Wyoming, RI - 3 - The Power of Nonviolence. Some pages near the front of this electronic book are left blank intentionally to match the format of the hard-copy book. - 4 - The Power of Nonviolence. TO MOHONDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI - 5 - The Power of Nonviolence. This electronic version is brought to you by the good people at NonviolenceUnited.org To order hardcopies of The Power of Nonviolence by Richard B. Gregg, please contact: Greenleaf Books 1197 Main Street Hartford, ME 04220 - 6 - The Power of Nonviolence. Some pages near the front of this electronic book are left blank intentionally to match the format of the hard-copy book. - 7 - The Power of Nonviolence. FOREWORD......................................................................................9 PREFACE ........................................................................................10 FOREWORD FOR THE INDIAN EDITION..................................13 1. MODERN EXAMPLES OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE ....15 2. MORAL JIU-JITSU ....................................................................43 3. WHAT HAPPENS .......................................................................52 4. UTILIZING EMOTIONAL ENERGY ........................................60 5. HOW IS MASS NONVIOLENCE POSSIBLE? .........................66 6. THE WORKING OF MASS NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE....72 7. AN EFFECTIVE SUBSTITUTE FOR WAR ..............................93 8. NONVIOLENCE AND THE STATE .......................................103 9. PERSUASION ...........................................................................113 10. THE NEED FOR TRAINING ………………………………..141 11. TRAINING…………………………………………………....149 NOTES BY CHAPTER…………………………………………...176 INDEX…………………………………………………………….188 - 8 - The Power of Nonviolence. Some pages near the front of this electronic book are left blank intentionally to match the format of the hard-copy book. - 9 - The Power of Nonviolence. FOREWORD WHEN the great Quaker leader, Rufus Jones, wrote an introduction to the first edition of The Power of Nonviolence, he observed that "here is a new kind of book ... a fine blend of what is and what ought to be… There is as much realism in this book as there is idealism." That was in 1935. Since then history's most devastating war has swept the globe, and new weapons of terrifying dimensions have made it more clear than ever that war and civilization cannot both continue into man's future. New ways of solving conflicts, without violence, must be discovered and put into operation. The years since 1935 have not only demonstrated how uncon- trollable war is when it breaks out; they have shown also how right Richard Gregg was in preparing this perceptive study in the first place. The heroic, though unanticipated nonviolent resistance against the Nazis in Denmark and Norway, recounted in this new edition, and by smaller groups in France, the Netherlands and in Germany itself, was such a demonstration. So has been the struggle in South Africa against unjust laws, the winning of its freedom by the new nation of Ghana, and our own experience in Montgomery. I am delighted that Richard Gregg, after spending another eighteen months in India in more research into this vital new kind of action, should have put the time and effort into this new version of his classic book. I hope it gets a wide readership, particularly among those, in this country and throughout the world, who are seeking ways of achieving full social, personal and political freedom in a manner consistent with human dignity. -MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Montgomery, Alabama. - 10 - The Power of Nonviolence. PREFACE THERE WILL always be conflicts, great and small, in human affairs. The H-bomb has made it obvious that total war can no longer settle conflicts. And clearly no conflict can be ended in its inner reality by the alleged deterrence from the possession of nuclear weapons. In such a stalemate the possibility of using nonviolent resistance might be worth examining. At first mention, the term "nonviolent resistance" seems self- contradictory. How can any resistance be effective in this modern world unless it has in it and backing it up, great strength, power and, if need be, weapons? At least a threat of violence seems an essential of resistance. Nevertheless, there have been instances in history where great courage, deep conviction and a fine cause have prevailed, with- out violence, against armed might. Gandhi's struggle for the freedom of India was one instance. In this book we shall examine the nature of the force used in such instances, and see whether it can be applied to other conflict situations. The unity of the human species is not only a biological and phy- siological fact; it is, when wisely and fully asserted and acted upon, a great power. Human unity is actual in man's universal capacity to think, feel, will, understand and act, and to apprehend spiritual truths. Human unity is a power that can overcome all differences of race, nationality, ideology or culture. Military leaders have aroused partial unity by means of fear, pride, anger, hate and lies. But unity can also be aroused, more fruitfully and enduringly, by love and the desire for justice. This book is a partial examination of how and why human unity can help solve human conflicts. Is nonviolent resistance intellectually and morally respectable or not? If it is at all practical anywhere, to what extent, and why? Is it applicable in the West, or not? It is difficult for one trained in modern Western modes of thought and action to understand this idea or to believe that its practice can be cogent Even Gandhi's explanations of it fail to carry weight with most of us. His explanations come out of a background of thought, - 11 - The Power of Nonviolence. feeling and attitude to life very different from ours. The assumptions of Indians are different, and so are their social experiences, the elements of thought which are implicit but never definitely stated, their historical allusions, their analogies and figures of speech. Therefore I have felt it desirable to restate and explain this method in modern Western concepts and terminology. I have not limited the explanation merely to Gandhi's own con- cepts or to India, but have tried to explain and evaluate the principle in its application in any country, at any time, under any circumstances and for any cause. I have attempted to show why persuasion of this sort is more powerful and more permanently advantageous than physical coercion. If we want a better world, we must be prepared to do some careful thinking. It is time we stopped being sketchy on a matter that touches us all so closely. For in reality this matter of handling conflict constructively is of immediate concern to everyone who has ever been angry or afraid, resentful, revengeful or bitter; who has ever taken part in a fight, mob violence or war; or who has been the object of anger, hatred, exploitation or oppression. It touches all those who are troubled lest the vast economic, political and social questions that are pressing upon all nations will issue in still more appalling violence and increased insecurity for everyone, or even destruction of the human race. It is also important to those who hope that some-how the ideals of mankind can be made practical and harmonized with its conduct. My qualifications for writing this book are experiences of con- flict involved in my three years' practice of law and seven years in industrial relations work, followed by a stay in India of nearly four years beginning early in 1925, of which about seven months altogether were spent at Gandhi's own ashram at Sabarmati, another six-week visit to India in March and April, 1930, another visit there of about the same length in the winter of 1949-50, and eighteen months of teaching, writing and travel in India in 1956-1958, many discussions with Gandhi and a careful study of most of what he wrote, so far as I could find it; also a study of much of the other literature of the entire subject of conflict and peace. To all the clear, profound and sensitive minds with which I have come in contact, in India and in other countries, in the past and the - 12 - The Power of Nonviolence. present, I owe a great obligation. To Gandhi especially I am grateful. For criticism and help I desire to thank especially my wife, W. Norman Brown, Caroline F. Tupper, Blanche Watson, John Nevin Sayre, the late Rufus M. Jones, my sister, Marjorie T. Gregg, Alfred Hassler, William Robert Miller and the late C. F. Andrews. I want also to thank all the authors and publishers who have kindly per- mitted me to quote from their books and articles. The first edition of this book was published in 1934. It was re- vised in 1944 and now events since then call for another revision. Richard B. Gregg Chester, NY November 1958 - 13 - The Power of Nonviolence. FOREWORD FOR THE INDIAN EDITION THE MOVEMENT OF ideas and their development into action is a fascinating study. One such idea is that of non-violence. It apparently originated among a few of the forest sages of India about three thousand years ago. It was recorded in the Upanishads. Buddha and the Jain Tirthankaras took it up and developed it further about 500 B.
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