Government, Political Power, and Social Movements Chapter 13 Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier Richard P. Appelbaum

Concept of the State What Is Government? Government refers to a political apparatus in which officials enact policies and make decisions Politics refers to the use of power to affect government actions

Concept of the State What Is Power? Power is the capacity to achieve one’s aims even against the resistance of others; often involves force Authority is a government’s use of legitimate power Democracy is not the only form of legitimate government

Concept of the State What Is a State? A state comprises a political apparatus (government institutions) including civil service officials, ruling over a territory Authority is backed by a legal system Has capacity to use force to implement policies

Concept of the State What Is a State? (cont) All modern states have Sovereignty: government has authority over given area Citizenship: people have common rights and duties and are aware of their part in the state Nationalism: sense of being part of a broader political community

Concept of the State Citizenship Rights Most nation-states became centralized through monarchs who concentrated social power Citizens initially had little or no rights three types of rights are associated with citizenship Civil rights: freedoms and privileges guaranteed by law Political rights: ensure that citizens may participate in politics Social rights: guarantee minimum standards of living Basis for welfare state

Global Map 13.1 (left)

Global Map 13.1 (right)

Democracy What Is Democracy? Democracy literally means rule by the people, but this phrase can be interpreted in different ways “The people” has often meant “white male property owners” “Rule” might refer to government policies, administrative decisions, or both Participatory democracy (direct democracy) occurs when everyone is involved in all decision making Can be difficult in large groups

Democracy What Is Democracy? (cont) Liberal democracy is a system in which citizens have a choice to vote between political parties for representatives entrusted with decision making Constitutional monarchy includes a royal family whose powers are restricted by a constitution putting authority in the hands of elected representatives

Democracy Democracy in the United States A political party is an organization oriented toward achieving legitimate control of government through an electoral process Usually a connection exists between voting patterns and class differences Many Western countries have seen decline in allegiance to traditional parties and disenchantment with party system

Democracy Interest Groups Interest groups are organizations that attempt to persuade elected officials to consider their aims when deciding on legislation Provide much of the funding for candidates at all levels of political office Help get candidates elected; influence outcome of votes

Fig. 13.1

Fig. 13.2

Democracy Political Participation of Women Women achieved right to vote much later than men in all countries Continue to be poorly represented among political elites Have been influential on social and civil rights issues Most Western countries have passed equal rights legislation

Table 13.2

Democracy Who Rules? Theories of Democracy Max Weber and Joseph Schumpeter put forth one of the most influential theories of the nature and limits of democracy, democratic elitism Direct democracy is impossible as a means of regular government in large-scale societies Rule of power elites is inevitable Multi-party systems allow people to choose who is in power

Democracy Who Rules? Theories of Democracy (cont) Pluralist Theories Accept that citizens have little or no direct influence on decision making Believe competition of interest groups limits concentration of power of ruling elites

Democracy Democracy in Trouble? Number of democratic countries has increased in recent years Due to globalization, mass communication, and spread of competitive capitalism But people everywhere have begun to lose faith in capacity of politicians and governments to solve problems and manage economies Many people no longer vote

Political and Social Change Forms of Social Change Revolution is the overthrow of existing political order by mass movement, using violence Social movements are collective attempts to further common interests through action outside of established institutions

Political and Social Change Four Frameworks for Study of Social Movements Economic Deprivation Marx argued that class struggles deriving from contradictions (unresolvable tensions) lead to revolution Davies argues that social movements occur from relative deprivation, a discrepancy between people’s lives and their expectations

Political and Social Change Four Frameworks for Study of Social Movements (cont) Resource Mobilization Tilly distinguished four components of collective action: Organization Mobilization Common interests Opportunity Revolutionary movements occur when government lacks full control—multiple sovereignty

Political and Social Change Four Frameworks for Study of Social Movements (cont) Structural Strain Smelser distinguished six conditions leading to collective action Structural conduciveness Structural strain—tensions that produce conflicting interests Generalized beliefs Precipitating factors Leadership and regular communication Operation of social control

Political and Social Change Four Frameworks for Study of Social Movements (cont) Fields of Action Touraine argues that social movements rest on Historicity Rational objectives Interaction Field of action—connections between a movement and the forces acting against it

Table 13.1

Political and Social Change How Does Sociology Affect Society? Social movements not only provide subject matter for sociologists but also challenge established frameworks of sociological thought For example, the effect of the women’s movement on the study of gender

The Nation-State, National Identity, and Globalization What Is Nationalism? Nationalism refers to symbols and beliefs that provide the sense of being part of a single political community Emerged with development of modern state Nations without states refers to national groups that lack political sovereignty over area they claim as their own

Terrorism Old- and New-Style Terrorism Terrorism—tactics aimed at harming or killing civilians to compel a government or population to act or stop acting in a particular way Old-style terrorism is used by nations to establish a state where no state previously existed New-style terrorism aims to reshape global society Decentralized structure that relies on networks Groups frequently get support from states More ruthless in means of violence

Review Questions 1. _________ can best be defined as a set of symbols and beliefs providing a sense of membership in a single political community. Nativism Patriotism Nationalism Chauvinism   Answer: C Reference: The Concept of the State Type: Vocabulary

Review Questions 2. Which of the following is a characteristic of a state? the existence of three branches of government the ability to use force to implement policies the provision of some level of social services to citizens All of the above   Answer: B Reference: The Concept of the State Type: Factual

Review Questions 3. What is the primary way that interest groups and PACs impact elections in the United States? They are heavily involved in get-out-the-vote efforts. They contribute enormous amounts of money to political campaigns. They conduct surveys and educate voters on policy issues. They recruit candidates for political office.   Answer: B Reference: Democracy Type: Factual

Review Questions 4. The development of the military-industrial complex is a good example of concerns raised by which theory of democracy? pluralist theories democratic elitism competing interests theory power elite   Answer: D Reference: Democracy Type: Conceptual

Review Questions 5. According to sociologist James Davies, social protest is more likely to occur when __________. people experience absolute deprivation a critical mass of people mobilizes around a single issue people experience relative deprivation unresolvable tensions in society reach a breaking point   Answer: C Reference: Political and Social Change Type: Factual

Review Questions 6. Which of the following is a characteristic of new social movements? They view protest as a means to an end, not an end in itself. They are based on single-issue objectives related to the distribution of power in society. Participation in new social movements is considered to be part of a calculated effort to achieve a specific goal. They seek to solidify collective identities based around entire lifestyles.   Answer: D Reference: Political and Social Change Type: Factual

Review Questions 7. How do old-style and new-style terrorism differ? New-style terrorist groups have a very centralized structure with most decisions being made by a central leadership group. Old-style terrorist groups sometimes work with states to achieve their goals, whereas new-style terrorist groups shun any contact or collaboration with states. New-style terrorism depends much less on conventional weapons and war tactics than old-style terrorism does. Old-style terrorism usually has as its goal the establishment of states for nations without states, whereas new-style terrorism has a much wider scope.   Answer: D Reference: Terrorism Type: Factual