Nonviolence as a method of resistance has a long history that precedes the modern examples of Ghandi and King. As Martin
Luther King stated, it is not the choice between
nonviolence and violence, it is the choice between nonviolence and non-existence. Some activists believe that
nonviolent methods are too weak, that more militant forms of disruption are needed to bring about social change. During the civil rights movement and other historical campaigns for justice, disruptive tactics were crucial to political effectiveness. Only by preserving nonviolent discipline can the movement occupy and hold the moral high ground and win political support for necessary social change.