In every part of the world, in every era of history, there have been revolutionary leaders that work to bring about change in their society or government. These revolutionary leaders follow a variety of tactics, including protests. Two differing approaches include non violent and radical protests. But which approach is more successful and why? Or in other words, to what extent are peaceful protests more or less effective than violent protests towards governmental and cultural change?
To be effective means, “producing a result that is wanted, having an intended effect,” according to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary. But in the context of protests, effectiveness can be measured by the greatest cultural and governmental change it brought about. …show more content…
When the power is placed in the hands of the majority, government will answer to the strongest group, not the most virtuous or thoughtful group. In this way, a government cannot be based on justice. Thoreau explains, if every man has a conscious, “We should be men first, and subjects afterwards.” In other words, we need to be humans first and be subject to morality, before we are subject to the law. These ideas encompass the universal idea of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey specific governmental laws based on the grounds that they are judged "wrong" by an individual conscience. This is a prominent tactic in peaceful …show more content…
Peaceful and violent protest are deemed effective if they reach their goal, or create the change they wanted to see. For example, the Salt March led by Mohandas Gandhi in March of 1930 was to protest British rule in India. In an act of civil disobedience Gandhi along with thousands of Indians marched almost 240 miles to the town of Dandi, in order to protests the British Salt Acts. These laws prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, and were forced to buy the British’s ridiculous priced salt. Gandhi led his supporters to Dandi, where they scooped up salt from the salt flats of the Arabian Sea. This march had impacts all over India; other coastal cities like Bombay and Karachi also had people following Gandhi’s lead in disobeying the law by making salt (). Over 60,000 people were arrested including Gandhi himself, but this movement remained(). Once Gandhi was released from prison, he met with the viceroy of India and negotiated a deal: he would call off the movement in exchange for Indian representation in the second Round Table Conference. Although the conference proved useless, Gandhi gained the attention of Britain’s leaders. Sixteen years later, India gained independence from Britain. The Salt March is a excellent example of a peaceful protests. The short term outcomes include mass civil disobedience, and the arrests of Gandhi and his followers. The long term effects include the release and
To be effective means, “producing a result that is wanted, having an intended effect,” according to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary. But in the context of protests, effectiveness can be measured by the greatest cultural and governmental change it brought about. …show more content…
When the power is placed in the hands of the majority, government will answer to the strongest group, not the most virtuous or thoughtful group. In this way, a government cannot be based on justice. Thoreau explains, if every man has a conscious, “We should be men first, and subjects afterwards.” In other words, we need to be humans first and be subject to morality, before we are subject to the law. These ideas encompass the universal idea of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey specific governmental laws based on the grounds that they are judged "wrong" by an individual conscience. This is a prominent tactic in peaceful …show more content…
Peaceful and violent protest are deemed effective if they reach their goal, or create the change they wanted to see. For example, the Salt March led by Mohandas Gandhi in March of 1930 was to protest British rule in India. In an act of civil disobedience Gandhi along with thousands of Indians marched almost 240 miles to the town of Dandi, in order to protests the British Salt Acts. These laws prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, and were forced to buy the British’s ridiculous priced salt. Gandhi led his supporters to Dandi, where they scooped up salt from the salt flats of the Arabian Sea. This march had impacts all over India; other coastal cities like Bombay and Karachi also had people following Gandhi’s lead in disobeying the law by making salt (). Over 60,000 people were arrested including Gandhi himself, but this movement remained(). Once Gandhi was released from prison, he met with the viceroy of India and negotiated a deal: he would call off the movement in exchange for Indian representation in the second Round Table Conference. Although the conference proved useless, Gandhi gained the attention of Britain’s leaders. Sixteen years later, India gained independence from Britain. The Salt March is a excellent example of a peaceful protests. The short term outcomes include mass civil disobedience, and the arrests of Gandhi and his followers. The long term effects include the release and