This is an extremely difficult question to answer and the efficacy of violence or non-violence is to a large extent contingent upon the context in which the situation unfolds itself. Some scholars have suggested that non-violence is perhaps more effective than violence as it helps in expanding the support base for the cause as common people are not often readily comfortable in taking up arms. Moreover, they also argue that non-violent uprisings are less likely than violent rebellions to encounter mass killings as violence is quite likely to invite brutal repression. History is testimony to the fact that both forces have been simultaneously operative within societies and they have represented alternative strategies for furthering the political struggle.