Discussion
Mizzy91Political Linkage: A Type of Public Interest Group
Social Movements
What Are Social Movements?
Definition: loosely organized collections of people and institutions who act outside established institutions to promote or resist social change
Significant role in the struggle for democracy
Political instruments of political outsiders
Mass grassroots phenomena
What Are Social Movements?
Social movements
Are populated by folks who share a sense of grievance
Tend to occur when a significant number of people define their own problems in general social terms
Form when aggrieved people believe that the government can be moved to action on their behalf
Factors That Encourage The Creation of Social Movements
Mostly structural in nature
Social distress
Resources for mobilization
Supportive environment
Sense of efficacy among participants
Catalyst
Tactics of Social Movements
Collective action: involves masses of people acting together
Unconventional tactics
Mass demonstrations
Strikes & boycotts
Civil disobedience: disobeying a law that one thinks is in violation of a higher law (think of natural rights here) and being willing to take the punishment for one’s disobedience
What Are Social Movements?
Why these type of tactics rather than the insiders game?
Outsiders usually lack the financial and political resources that insiders have, so
They take advantage of what they do have: energy, numbers, and commitment
Major Social Movements in the United States
Abolitionist
Populist
Women’s suffrage
Civil rights
Anti-war (Vietnam)
Environmentalism
Women’s rights
Abortion rights/Pro Life
The Temperance Movement
Women’s Suffrage
Civil Rights Movement
Militant Civil Rights Movement
Occupy Movement
Social Movements in a Majoritarian Democracy
How are they democratic?
Encourage popular participation
The scope of conflict makes them highly participatory and democratic
The politics of the many rather than of the few
How are they anti-democratic?
They could be a minority phenomena
Disruptive
First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances
Social Movements in a Majoritarian Democracy
Overcoming Political Inequality
Allows those without resources to enter the game of politics
Collective-action and mass mobilizations can
Serve as a substitute for economic and political resources
Help increase political equality
Social Movements in a Majoritarian Democracy
Social movements and gridlock
Often takes the energy of a movement to overcome the anti-majoritarian aspects of American government
Movements of which we are very proud have been more often the result of disruptive minorities
Examples?
Why Social Movements Succeed or Fail
A social movement will have little impact if it
Has few followers
Has little support among the general public
Is unable to affect significantly everyday life or the election prospects of politicians
Stimulates the formation of a powerful countermovement
Why Social Movements Succeed or Fail
Why some movements are repressed
Those committed to radical changes in society threaten widely-shared values and interests of the powerful
Examples
Labor movement in early 19th and 20th centuries
Radical wing of the anti-war movement
Black Power wing of the civil rights movement
Why Social Movements Succeed or Fail
Characteristics of successful social movements
Many supporters
Widespread public sympathy
Does not challenge the basic social & economic order
Wield some electoral clout
Measuring the Success of a Social Movement
Legislative action and constitutional amendments are indicators that
The social movement in question has made a major impact on politics and policy
Members of the movement are well respected
There have been changes in fundamental values in America
There is increased representation in decision-making bodies
Critical Thinking
Given that social movements are often quite disruptive and are full of conflict for the participants and for society, do they do more harm than good?
Critical Thinking
Is American politics so dominated by interest groups that social movements are the only hope for preserving democracy?