Political repression often paradoxically fuels popular movements rather than undermining resistance. When authorities respond to strategic nonviolent action with intimidation, coercion, and violence, they often undercut their own legitimacy, precipitating significant reforms or even governmental overthrow. Brutal repression of a movement is often a turning point in its history: Bloody Sunday in the March to Selma led to the passage of
civil rights legislation by the US Congress, and the Amritsar Massacre in India showed the world the injustice of the British Empire's use of force in maintaining control over its colonies.