Is a "Peaceful Revolution" Possible?

People are losing faith and patience in the ability of their politicians, their government, to effect change--the kind of real, meaningful, We, The People-serving change we all know is so desperately needed. More and more people are convinced that a real revolution--the kind of revolution in which people risk their reputations, their property, freedoms, and rights, the kind of revolution in which people willingly risk their very lives--has become necessary for us to ever see real change. Many believe that such a revolution is imminent--that the mishandling of economic, environmental, and political issues is causing people to wake up, to get angry, to want to "take matters into their own hands."

My 16-year old step-daughter is one of these so convicted. She keeps asking me whether or not revolution can occur without violence or bloodshed. In his book Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawken talks about change coming from small, often local, "grassroots" movements and organizations which, multiplied by the thousands, and connected around the planet via the Internet, he believes could be the (inevitable) means to such a "peaceful revolution." What do you think?