Passive resistance

The passive resistance is a form of protest of individuals or larger groups of people. It is characterized by the fact that they do not follow requests, instructions or commands or that this is done in a form that does not correspond to the actual purpose. In contrast, active resistance involves committing an act or making a negative statement. Both forms of resistance can find their expression in civil disobedience .

As a reaction to the occupation of the Ruhr area by French and Belgian troops in January 1923 - France wanted to ensure that the reparations were paid in this way - the Weimar government declared passive resistance. There was a general strike , which impacted the traffic and industry. Due to the difficulty of ensuring the supply of the population despite the loss of income from this important economic area (due to production and tax losses), the resistance finally had to be given up in September.

In Herman Melville's Bartleby the Writer , the fictional character Bartleby rejects any form of work with the words “I would prefer not to” (in the English original: I would prefer not to ). This refusal increases as the story progresses. His employer tolerates this to the point that he is forced to leave the office. Bartleby is taken to a prison where he ultimately dies.

In his work Life and Times of Michael K. (in the English original: Life & Times of Michael K ), JM Coetzee deals in literary form with the life of the fictional character in the South African society that was shaped by apartheid in the 1980s . Michael K. is characterized by the fact that he meets conflicts by fleeing or tolerating. In this context, he repeatedly suffers from food shortages and refuses to eat while he is interned in a camp.

See also

• Resistance (politics)
• Ahimsa
• Satyagraha - a political strategy designed by Mahatma Gandhi that appeals to the common sense and conscience of the opponent through
  • own violence (non-violence, Ahimsa) and
  • the willingness to take on pain and suffering (soul force)
• Call of duty
• boycott

Web links

• January 19, 1923. Passive resistance in the battle against the Ruhr. Virtual exhibition NRW 2000 ( Memento from May 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive )

annotation

1. ^ Life & Times of Michael K in the English language Wikipedia