"In this ground-breaking and much-needed book, Stellan Vinthagen provides the first major systematic attempt to develop a theory of nonviolent action since Gene Sharp's seminal "The Politics of Nonviolent Action" in 1973. Employing a rich collection of historical and contemporary social movements as examples -- from the civil rights movement in America to anti-Apartheid protesters in South Africa to Gandhi and his followers in India -- and addressing core theoretical issues in an innovative, penetrating way, Vinthagen argues for a repertoire of nonviolence that combines resistance and construction." -- back cover.