Gene Sharps Theory of Power - Term Paper Example

Gene Sharp’s Theory of Power Gene Sharp’s Theory of power is based upon a basic division of people in society into (a) rulers and (b) s. The term ruler is not restricted to only the person at the helm of affairs, rather the term ruler also includes “ruling groups and all bodies in command of the State structure” (Sharp, 1980, p 22). The various power structures present within the State such as the police, military or the bureaucracy are all under the control of the ruler or group that is in command. According to Sharp, that the power exercised by the rulers is that derived directly from the consent to such power that is allowed by the subjects; it depends “intimately upon the obedience and cooperation of the subjects” (Sharp, 1973, p 12). It is the obedience of the people which is at the heart of the power enjoyed by a regime. Some of the reasons which may prompt such obedience from the people could be “habit, fear, moral obligation, psychological identification with the ruler, zones of indifference, absence of self confidence among the subjects.” .(Sharp, 1973, p 19). However, when such obedience is withdrawn, it is a non violent expression by the people of their lack of consent to the rule of the regime and thereby undermines the very structure and existence of that regime. In analyzing the sources from which a regime is able to derive its power, Sharp outlines six sources (Sharp, 1973, p 1112), which may be set out as follows: (a) Authority- this is the extent to which the ruler enjoys legitimacy among his subjects and thereby derives his intensity and power to rule through the willingness of the people to accept his rule and command – the “right to command and direct, to be heard and obeyed by others” (Rude 2003, p 11) (b) Human resources – this comprises the number of people who are able to cooperate with and provide special assistance to the regime and the numbers of such people within the population as well as the nature of the organizations they helm (c) Skills and knowledge – the extent of the skills, resources and knowledge possessed by such individuals identified in (b) above, and the capacity they have to supply the resources needed by the regime to maintain its position of power (d) Intangible factors: The existing psychological and ideological factors, such as the attitude of the population towards the notion of obedience, their beliefs and values, as well as the existence of a common ideology or mission among them (e) Material resources – this comprises the tangible resources that may be available to the regime, such as financial resources, property, natural resources as well as means of communication and transportation (f) Sanctions – this is the nature and kind of positive reinforcements or negative punishments and pressures available to the regime in order to enforce its will upon the people. (Canvas Total Index:2). These sources of power possessed by a regime become operational and are maintainable through different institutions and structures, which according to Sharp, are the “pillars of support”. It is the existence of these pillars of support which enables the regime to survive; without them it would collapse. He has pointed out nine such pillars that support the regime: (a) police (b) military (c) civil servants (d) the media (e) the business community (f) workers (g) Youth (h) religious organizations and (i) non-governmental organizations or NGO’s. It is through these institutions that the regime is able to wield its power. On the basis of such concepts as the six sources of power and the nine pillars of support, all non violent movements that seek to undermine the authoritative and repressive power of a regime must do so by attacking these fundamental building blocks of power. Gene Sharp is of the view that there has been a tendency for non violent movements to maintain a more democratic and inclusive character than armed conflicts. (Sharp 1980). He points out how an understanding of these sources of power and pillars of support will be helpful to those who are trying to use non violent means to achieve their ends. For example, those regimes which are authoritarian are most vulnerable to attacks by non violent movements which can undermine the legitimacy of the military tactics and coercive methods which may be used by such rulers. While combating such rulers through the use of military resources will require military strategies that can match the ruler’s military strength, non violent strategies offer a much more direct and effective manner of targeting the ruler’s sources of power (Lank and Stephan, 2002). Bearing in view the sources of a ruler’s power, a non violent movement will therefore attempt to build internal institutions and channels to channel away the ruler’s power (Sharp, 1973:4). Such a non violent movement will try to work in a two pronged manner – on the one hand it will build resistance, confidence and self reliance among members of the oppressed population while at the same time, exploiting the problems and weaknesses of the oppressor. It goes to the root of the sources of a ruler’s power which lies in the consent from the people. A non violent movement withdraws that crucial support by refusing to consent to the ruler’s imposition, manifested through a civil disobedience of the rules and regulations imposed by the regime which are implemented through the nine pillars of support. In carrying through this lack of consent and obedience, the people cannot avoid hardships, suffering or even death. In this aspect, non violent strategies may also be classed as a form of warfare, since they attempt to undermine the regime’s sources of support by massing the crowds together in silent and non violent means of resistance to the regime. But through such disobedience and unwillingness to consent, the very legitimacy of the ruler can be challenged and the power structure of the regime is automatically undermined. According to Power, the withdrawal of consent is the main avenue for affecting change.(www.peaceworkmagazine.org). According to Sharp, there are three major mechanisms by which power relationships may be changed. These means are identified as follows: (a) conversion – this tactic involves bringing about a change in attitude among the people that leads an opponent to make concessions because it is the right thing to do, and thereby shifts the balance of power (b) Accommodation – by agreeing to withdraw the cooperation that is being extended to the regime, the legitimacy of the regime is challenged and this forces the regime to agree to a compromise of some kind, thereby altering the power balance in its favor (c) Coercion – this occurs when the non violent resistance is so successful that the power of the regime is seriously threatened and as a result, its power structure crumbles to such an extent that it is forced to capitulate and yield to other sources of power (d) Disintegration – when the non violent moment is so successful that it results in a complete disintegration of the forces of the ruler, in which case the power base of the existing regime is completely destroyed. These are the goals that a non violent movement seeks to achieve and according to Sharp, “non violent action is designed to operate against opponents who are able and willing to use violent sanctions.” (Power, 1973, p 109). Non violent movements place oppressive rulers and regimes in a quandary because a failure to repress the protestors undermines the regime’s position, yet if force is used against non violent protestors, it only draws sympathy for the non-violence movement – support that is pulled away from the ruling regime. It is this kind of position that a non violent movement seeks to achieve in order to gain concessions from the ruling regime, however as Sharp clarifies, the achieving of such an effect takes “an extensive, determined and skilful application of non violent action.” (Sharp, 1973, p 110). Some of the means to accomplish this end, as recommended by Sharp, are as follows: (a) Protest and persuasion – this occurs when people band together in large groups and engage in demonstrations or public protests which are all of a non violent nature, yet clearly show their support of an objective that may not be within the regime’s rules. The means used to communicate the non violent protest message to a wider audience includes banners, leaflets, speeches, picketing and lobbying. (b) Non violent, non cooperation – another means to achieve this is through a refusal to cooperate in any and all activities that lead to a propagation of injustice, which may also include non cooperation with political rules and objectives. Social non cooperation is achieved in the form of boycotts – by customers, middlemen, owners or even by embargoes and strikes. (c) Intervention – this occurs by disrupting and interfering with the normal operations of day to day activities. Such interventions may be physical, social, economic, psychological or political. Some examples of such forms of non violent action are hunger strikes, counterfeiting, selective patronage, sit-ins or the establishment of parallel governments. All of these means serve to undermine the six sources of power that a ruling regime relies upon, by posing a threat to the nine pillars through which the regime is able to maintain its locus of power. References: * Canvas Total Index: “Serbian arena for non violent conflict: An analytical overview of Gene Sharp’s theory of non violent action in Molisevic’s Serbia” retrieved October 28, 2007 from: http://www.canvasopedia.org/files/serbian/CTI_Serbian_Political_Substance.doc * “Gene Sharp’s Theory of Power” Retrieved October 28, 2007 from: http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0505/050514.htm * Lank, Thomas and Stephan, Maria J, 2002. “Fighting with non violence: A workshop with Gene Sharp”, Retrieved October 28, 2007 from: http://www.fletcherledger.com/archive/2001-11-05/110501_FfinalLank,%20Stephan%20Gene%20Sharp%20Workshop.htm * Rude, Sarah J, 2003. “Violence vs non violence in the search for societal change: The Watts riot of 1965 vs the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956” Vaxjo University: The author. * Sharp, Gene, 1980. “Social Power and Political Freedom” Boston: Porter Sargent * Sharp, Gene, 1973. “The Politics of Non violent Action.” Boston: Porter Sargent. Read More