Darian Dolansky SOC 200 EXAM 2 Notes Chapters 8 10 11 9 16 13 CHAPTER 13 GOVERNMENT POLITICAL POWER AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS BASIS CONCEPTS Democracy people rule freedom Participatory democracy direct democracy Decisions are made communally by those affected by them collectively make major decisions vote directly on policies and laws Liberal democracies Voters can choose between two or more political parties and in which the mass of the adult population has the right to vote parliamentary institutions free market system Monarchies and Liberal Democracies Constitutional monarchs monarchs in name only severely restricted power The Concept of the State nation state the people rule o comprised of a nation common identity and state political apparatus or gov t Characteristics of the state o Notion of national sovereignty undisputed political rule of a state over an area o Nationalism 1 Set of symbols and beliefs providing sense of membership in a single political community 2 local nationalism community based shared identity should have autonomy i e French speaking population in Quebec Canada o Power and Authority 1 Power ability to make own interests or concerns count even against resistance 2 Authority legitimate use of power o Citizenship Rights 1 Citizens members of political community having both rights and duties associated w membership 2 Civil rights rights established by law 3 Political rights right to participate in elections and run for public office 4 social rights right to enjoy minimum standard of economic welfare and security achieve through welfare state provide material benefits for citizens 5 social movements attempts to further a common interest or secure common goal through action outside of established institutions Who Rules Theories of Democracy Democratic Elitism Weber Schumpeter o Theory of the limits of democracy that holds that in large scale societies democratic participation is necessarily limited to the regular election of political leaders o Large groups of people cannot make the political decisions individually use experts Pluralist Theories o Citizens can have little or no direct influence on political decision making but argue interest groups can limit centralization of power in hands of officials important for the division of power The Power Elite o Small networks of individuals who hold concentrated power in modern societies Why do Social Movements Occur when groups objectives or ideals cannot be achieved within the framework other forms of political action may be required for political and social change Economic Deprivation o Class conflict that lead to revolutionary change o Contradictions irresolvable tensions o Capitalism continually cut costs in order to remain competitive o Marx believed when a dominant class was particularly entrenched violence necessary to achieve required transition o Social protest is more likely when living conditions improve expectations go up i e if improvement in conditions slows down expectations are frustrated o Relative deprivation leads to protest discrepancy between people s actual lives and what they think could realistically be achieved Resource Mobilization o Processes of revolution change in context of forms of protest and violence 1 Collective action action undertaken in a relatively spontaneous way by a large number of people assembled together 1 Organization of group s involved 2 Mobilization way group acquires resources to make action possible 3 Common interests 4 Opportunity o Revolutionary movements occur in situations of multiple sovereignty government lacks full control over areas it is suppose to admin Structural Strain o Six conditions underlying origins of collective action social movements 1 Structural conduciveness promotion of inhibition of the formation of social movements 2 Structural strain tensions that produce conflicting interests w n society 3 Generalized beliefs definite ideologies 4 Precipitating factors events that trigger direct action by those involved 5 Effective leadership regular communication 6 Operation of social control Fields of Action o Field of action comprises connections between a social movement and the forces or influences against it Civil society sphere b t state marketplace occupied by noneconomic institutions SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ACTIVITY what social movement this person was involved in what got that person involved in the first place and what they contributed to that movement and our society Gloria Steinem feminist social political activist notable for feminist movement 60s 70s journalist career studied researched in India during college supporting Equal Rights Amendment first reported undercover as a Bunny at the Playboy Club revealed that waitresses were overworked and underpaid after this found it hard to be assigned serious stories bc of her sex becoming a founding editor New York magazine co founded Women s Media Center of orgs on human rights women s magazine insert Ms Magazine became involved in women s rallies protests sit ins https www nwhm org education resources biography biographies gloria steinem Fannie Lou Hamer leader in the struggle for civil rights social equality economic improvement for AfricanAmerican community born into poverty b c of oppressive social circumstances didn t know she had a right to vote until 45 y o one of 18 men women that marched into courthouse and were refused right to vote after unreasonable literacy test each fined 100 for crime of driving a bus of the wrong color shot 17 times upon being discovered in hiding pioneered numerous political and humanitarian efforts https www nwhm org education resources biography biographies fannie lou hamer Brenda Howard bisexual rights activist sex positive feminist polyamorist BDSM practicioner critical of domination by men active member of gay liberation front known of mother of pride for work in coordination a rally and then Christopher Street Liberation Day March to commemorate first anniversary of Stonewall riots originated idea of week long series of events around Pride Day