Definition of Nonviolence

Nonviolence (or non-violence), whether held as a moral philosophy or only employed as an action strategy, rejects the use of physical violence in efforts to attain social, economic or political change. As an alternative to both passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it, nonviolence (also known as nonviolent resistance) offers a number of tactics for popular struggle ranging from education, to persuasion, to civil disobedience, to nonviolent direct action, to noncooperation with political, economic or social authorities. While frequently used as a synonym for pacifism, since the mid 20th century the terms nonviolence or nonviolent resistance have been adopted by many movements for social change which do not focus on opposition to war.