I think that both of your examples only worked because there was a contemporary, more militant version of the same movement, and the peaceful protestors were seen as a more palatable alternative.
As police and military units cracked down on militant revolutionaries/protestors, the people remaining in those movements moved toward more non-violent methods just as mainstream perception grew to see non-violent protest as more reasonable.
So the non-violent movement was pivotal in both cases, but I didn’t think non-violent protest accomplishes either goal on its own.
I think you might be right, yes. The result of Gandhi’s speech to the judge which came with no real backing of a massive movement behind it, was “cool story bro” and prison.
I think that both of your examples only worked because there was a contemporary, more militant version of the same movement, and the peaceful protestors were seen as a more palatable alternative.
As police and military units cracked down on militant revolutionaries/protestors, the people remaining in those movements moved toward more non-violent methods just as mainstream perception grew to see non-violent protest as more reasonable.
So the non-violent movement was pivotal in both cases, but I didn’t think non-violent protest accomplishes either goal on its own.
I think you might be right, yes. The result of Gandhi’s speech to the judge which came with no real backing of a massive movement behind it, was “cool story bro” and prison.