ABSTRACT
Military power is the "final argument of the king" the ultimate arbiter of political affairs. This reflected the belief, still widely held today, that military force is the supreme form of political power. Gandhi said the opposite, that nonviolence is the most powerful force on earth. He proved his point through the success of India's nonviolent struggle for freedom. In this chapter argues that nonviolence works better than war. Loyalty shifts are a key mechanism of nonviolent change, according to Stephan and Chenoweth, occurring in more than half of the successful nonviolent campaigns studied. Nonviolent action is not only more effective than armed struggle in achieving social change; it is also more likely to expand opportunities for democracy and political freedom. Nonviolent action succeeds when it undermines the public consent that sustains corrupt power. Nonviolent resistance works by winning support from third parties and undermining the legitimacy and effectiveness of the opponent's power base.
