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Nonviolence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea

mark kurlansky dalai lama xiv

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In this timely, highly original, and controversial narrative, New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky discusses nonviolence as a distinct entity, a course of action, rather than a mere state of mind.

Nonviolence can and should be a technique for overcoming social injustice and ending wars, he asserts, which is why it is the preferred method of those who speak truth to power.

'Nonviolence' is a sweeping yet concise history that moves from ancient Hindu times to present - day conflicts raging in the Middle East and elsewhere. Kurlansky also brings into focus just why nonviolence is a “dangerous” idea, and asks such provocative questions as: Is there such a thing as a “just war”? Could nonviolence have worked against even the most evil regimes in history?

Kurlansky draws from history twenty-five provocative lessons on the subject that we can use to effect change today. He shows how, time and again, violence is used to suppress nonviolence and its practitioners – Gandhi and Martin Luther King, for example; that the stated deterrence value of standing national armies and huge weapons arsenals is, at best, negligible; and, encouragingly, that much of the hard work necessary to begin a movement to end war is already complete. It simply needs to be embraced and accelerated.

Engaging, scholarly, and brilliantly reasoned, 'Nonviolence' is a work that compels readers to look at history in an entirely new way. This is not just a manifesto for our times but a trailblazing book whose time has come.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,2006
Literary awards
dayton literary peace prize, 

This edition

Format
224 pages, Hardcover
Published
September 12, 2006 by Modern Library
ISBN
9780679643357
ASIN
0679643354
Language
English

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About the author

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mark kurlansky

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
klakson188
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Nothing approaching a coherent treatise on the subjects. A cherry picked list of situations where nonviolence worked and some where the author wished it worked. Not useful for someone looking to implement nonviolent resistance in 2019 America.
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zedz
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Interesting history of nonviolent protest and its effectiveness. It is a bit rambling and the author proves some of his points better than others. But it is extremely well researched and I found it both informative and exciting to think about. He doesn’t just deal with internal movements but the State’s role in military response. Well worth the time.
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mangamasu
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I've always been fascinated by nonviolence - it's one of those political tactics that I've seen touted, but secretly thought of as largely ineffective. After all, if the government has shut a large group of people out of the decision-making process, whether by disenfranchising a subset of the population or by becoming a dicatorship, I had trouble seeing how getting a bunch of them together and, for example, chaining them to something, was really going to change anything.

I think I believed this in part because, growing up, my impression of how political actions could be effective came from movies and occasional books. When forced into a 300 page or two hour narrative structure, things like the civil rights movement have to follow a brief arc - increasing intensity, big climax, success!

Kurlansky's book is an antidote to this overly simplified view of how change can be brought about in society - even if the group agitating for change isn't in possession of the usual sources of power. He draws explicit contrast between nonviolence and pacifism - pacifism being a decision not to engage in conflict, while nonviolence is a conscious choice to challenge the existing order and actively resist it, but to do so without bloodshed (at least on the part of the challengers).

Even if you don't read the whole book, the opening is a complete knockout - Kurlansky talks about how many religions were initially largely nonviolent or even pacifistic, and came to condone or even encourage violence only after becoming embedded in larger political structures. His focus is Christianity, and he goes into detail about how early Christian converts in Rome would literally lay down their weapons and refuse to engage in battle, a far cry from the later Crusades, for example.

For all its weighty topics, Kurlansky's writing is engaging and thoughtful, and the book is a solid, fast read.
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Strangest_Guru
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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If we want peace, we will have to be willing to suffer for it, and maybe even die for it, but isn't that what we say about "freedom," and that the cost is worth it? Why are we willing to kill others in war, even if that means we have a good chance of getting hurt or killed ourselves, but we are unwilling to refuse to kill, if that means we might be hurt or killed? The human mind is a strange thing. Kurlansky does a terrific job of pointing out not just the suffering of war, but the absurdity of it, and the deception behind it. Not that you didn't already know that. But the value here is that he backs up his assertions with myriad examples from history, and shows that the ideas of nonviolence have been around a lot longer than Gandhi. He exposes the state -- any state -- for what it is, by explaining why those who are committed to nonviolence are and have always been its greatest enemies. He even questions conventional wisdom about the American Revolution, the necessity of World War II, and the arms race that supposedly brought down the Berlin Wall. A terrific tonic for the constant war glorification in our culture today. Other authors might take a more religious approach to the questions, whereas Kurlansky makes an argument from the practical perspective: It works. It is the only thing that works. From whatever angle you see it, only light can drive out the darkness.
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neby_nebs
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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You know that feeling when a book showers you with intriguing ideas and historical events that you knew nothing about. Well, this book made me feel that and more.
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lampful
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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The basic thesis of this book is this: Nonviolence has to be an active force that goes out and challenges authority. And one needs true grit to be a nonviolent protestor. Mark Kurlansky shows us throughout history some true leaders in nonviolent. His personal favorites are William Lloyd Garrison, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Kurlansky weaves the book together (at least the 2006 version) into several chapters that are chronological and have guided by a theme. The target bad boys in this history are always the same: state institutions, such as organized religion, the military, and the government. The best chapter was his last, "Random Outbreaks of Hope," in which the author looks towards our recent past and examines the current state of nonviolent movements during the 1960s and the Bush Wars, not to mention examples of success in South Africa and the failure of nonviolence in Israel. If you have a basic understanding of the major events of world history this book may not be for you. Too many times did I get stuck in a simple rehash of Civil War politics or motivations of the Crusaders. The other tedious issue with this book is that you can almost anticipate each chapter. Nonviolent guys will lose, provide an example for the next generation, which will probably fail as well. But dammit man did they come close! Overall this is a very interesting take on a way to read the world. I would suggest it to those who want a deeper understanding of nonviolence or social justice, but to those who know the familiar examples of history I advise to move on.
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Axlmtrel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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A strong start wavers as Mr. Kurlansky closes in on modern times. The book has a powerful message: namely, that violence, regardless of rationale, begets violence and should be avoided. In a world that seems to increasingly embrace violence as an acceptable part of a civilized society, I wish I could wholeheartedly endorse this book.

Unfortunately, Mr. Kurlansky too often simplifies necessary complexities in favor of making his point. This includes dismissing contrary opinions and analyses. Some of his examples – Denmark in World War II, for example – fail to take into account the totality of circumstance. That he erred by a decade in referencing when America and Britain granted suffrage to women makes me wonder what else might be incorrect.

But the message is important. It’s not a perfect book, but in grounding its arguments on a historic rather than religious basis, Nonviolence makes for a unique and worthwhile read. Quasi-recommended.
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Eikichimishina
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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The argument never goes info the depth it needs. Then the civil war chapter has some strange lost cause defense, including blaming Haitian slaves for European blockade post revolution. Interesting parts are there but few and far between.
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