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A review by pink_distro
How Nonviolence Protects the State by Peter Gelderloos
4.0
Gelderloos tears apart pacifism very well, from an anarchist perspective. he does this by discussing the racialized, gendered, and classed nature of violence (structural, interpersonal, and revolutionary), and generally showing how pacifists play pretty loose with their history, strategizing, and general political analysis. instead he gives a brief, more realistic picture of what revolution is, how states respond to it, and uses various historical cases to back it up.
he shows that pacifism isn't equipped to win anything beyond reformist wins, is a needless constraint on our struggles, is largely a white/western ideology that's wildly condescending to oppressed peoples' movements and experiences, and is based on a vague ass idea of "violence" that de-emphasizes structural violence of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, and the state. occasionally he has tangents or stylistic things that i don't care for, but the core of the book is pretty much right on.
he shows that pacifism isn't equipped to win anything beyond reformist wins, is a needless constraint on our struggles, is largely a white/western ideology that's wildly condescending to oppressed peoples' movements and experiences, and is based on a vague ass idea of "violence" that de-emphasizes structural violence of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, and the state. occasionally he has tangents or stylistic things that i don't care for, but the core of the book is pretty much right on.