The philosophy and techniques of satyagraha were effective because they allowed proponents to employ increasingly powerful pressures in conflict without falling into uncontrolled escalation. First, Gandhi intensified conflict in a step-wise, rather than a spiraling, fashion. Conflicts spiral out of control when each hostile action immediately provokes a more hostile response.
Gandhian conflict proceeds in a series of clearly distinct steps.
The first step is protracted negotiations. If necessary, direct action will be followed by increasing forceful actions. Actors maintain control over the escalation process by withdrawing from confrontation and engaging in a period of reflection and re-evaluation between each step. A strong ideology of nonviolence limits the range of weapons and the degree of violence used in the conflict. Third, Gandhian conflict techniques take specific steps to control the usual dynamics of conflict escalation.