Civil disobedience

Nonviolent disobedience of the law

War & ConflictPolitics & GovernmentSocial & Human Rights
Civil disobedience
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Overview

What happened

At least 31 protesters killed in Khuzestan Province, Iran, in 2009 after 65 days of civil disobedience come to a deadly end.

Date

June 5, 2009

Location

Khuzestan Province, Iran

Key people

Ali Khamenei

Outcome

At least 31 protesters killed in Khuzestan Province, Iran, in 2009 after 65 days of civil disobedience come to a deadly end.

Why it matters

This article provides a detailed and nuanced account of the protests in Khuzestan Province, including the causes and consequences of the protests, and the response of the Iranian gov...

What was Civil disobedience?

Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hence, civil disobedience is sometimes equated with peaceful protests or nonviolent resistance. Henry David Thoreau's essay Resistance to Civil Government, first published in 1849 and then published posthumously in 1866 as Civil Disobedience, popularized the term in the US, although the concept itself was practiced long before this work.

A marker at the location where Thoreau was imprisoned for one night in Concord, Massachusetts
A marker at the location where Thoreau was imprisoned for one night in Concord, Massachusetts
Related books
Civil Disobedience cover Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau · 1800 Walden, or, Life in the Woods / On the Duty of Civil Disobedience cover Walden, or, Life in the Woods / On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau · 1849 Civil disobedience in focus cover Civil disobedience in focus Hugo Adam Bedau · 1991 Crises of the Republic cover Crises of the Republic Hannah Arendt · 1972 Tolstoy's writings on civil disobedience and non-violence cover Tolstoy's writings on civil disobedience and non-violence Лев Толстой · 1967
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Background and consequences

Various forms of civil disobedience have been used by prominent activists, such as American women's suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony in the late 19th century, Egyptian nationalist Saad Zaghloul during the 1910s, and Indian nationalist Mahatma Gandhi in 1920s British India as part of his leadership of the Indian independence movement. Martin Luther King Jr.'s and James Bevel's peaceful nonviolent protests during the civil rights movement in the 1960s United States sometimes contained important aspects of civil disobedience.

Civil disobedience
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Related on thisDay

After 65 straight days of civil disobedience, at least 31 people are killed in clashes — June 5, 2009

At least 31 protesters killed in Khuzestan Province, Iran, in 2009 after 65 days of civil disobedience come to a deadly end.

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: After 65 straight days of civil disobedience, at least 31 people are killed in clashes — June 5, 2009Wikipedia source
Cite this page
MLA

“Civil disobedience.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/civil-disobedience/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Civil disobedience. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/civil-disobedience/

Chicago

“Civil disobedience.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/civil-disobedience/.

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