Gene Sharp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gene Sharp
Born	(1928-01-21)January 21, 1928 North Baltimore, Ohio
Died	January 28, 2018(2018-01-28) (aged 90) Boston, Massachusetts
Citizenship	American
Alma mater	Ohio State University (BA, MA) University of Oxford (PhD)
Awards	Right Livelihood Award
Scientific career
Fields	Political science, civil resistance, nonviolent revolution
Institutions	University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Harvard University, Albert Einstein Institution
Influences	Mohandas K. Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, A. J. Muste, Saul Alinsky, others

Gene Sharp (born January 21, 1928 – died January 28, 2018) was an American expert in political science. He started the Albert Einstein Institution. This is a group that studies how people can make changes without using violence. He also taught political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Sharp was famous for his many writings about nonviolent struggle. His ideas have helped many groups around the world. These groups used peaceful ways to resist governments. In 2008, he won an award for his work. This award recognized his efforts to defend freedom and democracy. It also honored his studies on how nonviolent actions can reduce violence. He received the Right Livelihood Award in 2012. This award was for explaining how nonviolent resistance works. It also recognized his support for using these ideas in conflicts.

Gene Sharp's Life Story

Gene Sharp was born in North Baltimore, Ohio. His father was a traveling Protestant minister. Sharp earned his first degree in Social Sciences in 1949. He got it from Ohio State University. He also received his Master's degree in Sociology there in 1951.

In 1953, Sharp was put in jail for nine months. He was protesting against people being forced to join the army for the Korean War. He wrote letters to Albert Einstein about his choice to go to prison. Einstein even wrote a special introduction for Sharp's first book about Gandhi. Sharp worked different jobs, like a factory worker. He also helped organize the 1958 Aldermaston March in London. In 1968, he earned his PhD in political theory. He received this degree from Oxford University.

In 1972, Sharp became a political science professor. He taught at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He also did research at Harvard University. In 1983, he started the Program on Nonviolent Sanctions. This program was at Harvard.

In the same year, 1983, Sharp founded the Albert Einstein Institution. This group studies and promotes the use of nonviolent action. They focus on helping people in conflicts worldwide. Sharp passed away on January 28, 2018, in Boston. He had just turned 90 years old.

Understanding Nonviolent Resistance

Gene Sharp's ideas came from studying leaders like Mohandas K. Gandhi. He also learned from A. J. Muste and Henry David Thoreau. His main book, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, came out in 1973. In this book, he explained nonviolent action. He showed how it can be a practical way to use power in a conflict.

Sharp's main idea is that power is not just held by leaders. He believed that the power of any government comes from its people. If people obey the leaders, the leaders have power. But if people stop obeying, the leaders lose their power.

Sharp thought that all powerful groups have ways to make people obey. Governments use police, courts, and rules. They also use cultural ideas that make people feel they must obey. These systems offer rewards like titles or money. They also have punishments like jail or fines. These things influence how much people obey.

Sharp saw that this hidden structure offers a chance for change. He believed that if people realize they are the source of a government's power, they can refuse to obey. Then, the leaders will be left without power.

In 2005, Sharp published Waging Nonviolent Struggle. This book shares examples of nonviolent action from history. It also gives advice on how to plan nonviolent struggles. A movie called "How to Start a Revolution" was made about Gene Sharp's work. It came out in 2011. The film won awards at the Boston Film Festival.

Gene Sharp's Global Impact

Some people have called Gene Sharp the "Machiavelli of nonviolence." Others call him the "Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare." This means his ideas are seen as very important for peaceful struggles. Many believe his studies have influenced groups fighting for change worldwide. His work is a key part of the training for a group in Serbia. This group helped train activists in Egypt. These activists helped to remove President Mubarak. Sharp's work also influenced youth movements in Eastern Europe. These movements led to "color revolutions."

Sharp's 1993 book, From Dictatorship to Democracy, was first published in Burma. It has been translated into over 30 languages. This book has been a guide for many movements. These include Serbia's Otpor!, Georgia's Kmara, and Kyrgyzstan's KelKel. An activist from Ukraine, Oleh Kyriyenko, said in 2004: "The bible of Pora has been the book of Gene Sharp." He added that Sharp's group helped print 12,000 copies of the book for free.

Sharp's ideas on "Civilian-based defense" were used by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. They used these ideas when they separated from the Soviet Union in 1991. Lithuania's Defence Minister said he would rather have Sharp's book than a nuclear bomb.

The Iranian government accused protesters in 2009 of using Sharp's tactics. They claimed that over 100 of Sharp's 198 steps were used in the protests.

Some people think Sharp's influence has been made to seem bigger than it was. They say Westerners might be looking for a hero figure.

Influence in Egypt

There was a lot of talk about Gene Sharp's influence on the Egyptian revolution. Some Egyptian bloggers disagreed with this idea. One journalist said that Egyptians were inspired by Palestinians, not Gene Sharp. Another writer said Sharp's ideas are more about changing governments than true revolutions. He felt local events and the Tunisian revolution were more important.

However, other evidence suggests Sharp's work was important. An Egyptian activist, Dalia Ziada, said activists translated parts of Sharp's work. She said his message about "attacking weaknesses of dictators" stuck with them. Ahmed Maher, a leader of the April 6 democracy group, also said Sharp's books had a "huge impact." News reports from 2010 said Sharp's work was being used by activists in Egypt. The New York Times also reported that Sharp's book From Dictatorship to Democracy was posted online by the Muslim Brotherhood during the 2011 revolution.

Criticism of Gene Sharp's Work

Gene Sharp's work has also faced criticism. Some people have claimed he had strong links to US government groups. These groups include the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon.

There has been debate about whether Sharp's work truly influenced the Arab Spring. A document released by WikiLeaks mentioned Syrian activists using his work. But some experts have disagreed with these claims.

More recently, some critics have said Sharp's ideas are like "marketing regime change." They believe his theories might make protest movements easy to control. They also suggest his ideas might not lead to true, deep change.

Gene Sharp's Books

Gene Sharp wrote and edited many important books. They have been published since the 1950s. Here are some of his major works:

1960s

• Gandhi Wields the Weapon of Moral Power: Three Case Histories. (1960)
• Gandhi Faces the Storm. (1961)
• Civilian Defense: An Introduction, edited with Adam Roberts and T.K. Mahadevan. (1967)

1970s

• Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives (1970)
• Correcting Common Misconceptions about Nonviolent Action. (1973)
• 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action. (1973)
• The Politics of Nonviolent Action (1973)
• Gandhi as a Political Strategist, with Essays on Ethics and Politics (1979)

1980s

• Social Power and Political Freedom. (1980)
• National Security Through Civilian-based Defense. (1985)
• Making Europe Unconquerable: The Potential of Civilian-based Deterrence and Defense (1985)
• Resistance, Politics, and the American Struggle for Independence, 1765-1775, edited with Walter Conser, Jr., Ronald M. McCarthy, and David J. Toscano. (1986)

1990s

• Civilian-Based Defense: A Post-Military Weapons System, with Bruce Jenkins. (1990)
• From Dictatorship to Democracy: A conceptual framework for liberation (1994)
• Nonviolent Action: A Research Guide, with Ronald McCarthy. (1997)

2000s

• There are Realistic Alternatives (2003)
• Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential, with Joshua Paulson. (2005)
• Self-Liberation: A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression, with Jamila Raqib. (2009)

2010s

• Sharp's Dictionary of Power and Struggle. (2011)
• How Nonviolent Struggle Works, with Jaime Gonzalez Bernal. (2013)

See also

In Spanish: Gene Sharp para niños