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while he was alive and was harassed by the FBI. His support among the general population was by no means widespread, and racism in various forms persists in the United States today. King's campaign succeeded because of the power of non-violence and the steadfastness of its resistance, not because he reflected an existing consensus.
The argument that non-violence somehow does not work if it seeks to change public opinion is unworthy of extensive comment. It is perfectly true that Gandhi tried to influence British public opinion and that King sought to change American public opinion. This was an effective and non-violent way of achieving their goals. When a military force uses similar tactics it is called “Psychological Warfare”, and is considered a respectable tactic even though it seldom works.
The ability of non-violent movements to change public hearts and minds is in fact one of their strengths. It is hardly surprising that a military force generally fails to influence enemy public opinion, while a non-violent movement succeeds more frequently than not.
By changing the hearts and minds of people in Britain, Gandhi gained independence. King made major gains for civil rights in the same way. These results hardly show that non-violence fails; they are instead one of the enduring strengths of non-violent action. Non-violence & Peace
Peace research today has reached a consensus that the opposite of peace is not war, but violence (Schneider, 1973). It would follow that nonviolence, would in some way be identical to peace. In the frame of references which embraces positive nonviolence the individual man, woman, or child is the focus of value, and the locus of responsibility and in fact power: nonviolence fulfills Kant's law that the human being should never be treated as a means but as an end in him—or herself. All conflict-limiting mechanisms such as international law, formal and informal diplomacy, transnational solidarity, and the United Nations are based on at least non-violent principles. There is a specific development of note, however, for which some historical experience has accumulated, and a considerable bibliography; this is generally known as alternative defense (Sharp, 1985). The two great advantages of alternative defense over military resistance (besides the obvious saving of life
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