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Podcast: Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
Episode: The History of Political Resistance—And What Lessons Can We Apply to Today's Democratic Crisis?
Description: Political resistance is as old as injustice itself, fighting with tools that span from civil disobedience (boycotts, strikes, sit-ins) to armed struggle, challenging tyranny, colonialism, racism, and inequality through both nonviolent or violent means.Â
Historically it has evolved from ancient community defiance to modern national movements like Black Lives Matter, utilizing culture, direct action, and grassroots organization. Key nonviolent strategies include passive noncooperation (e.g., sit-ins and boycotts) and active confrontation (e.g., U.S. Civil Rights Movement), with recent studies highlighting effective nonviolent strategies, like those seen in the Eastern European revolutions.Â
We will lo...