Conditions for and Impediments to Social Change Some societies experience greater social change than others. In cases where social institutions have lost their support of the people change can occur rapidly. Change can be both positive and negative, depending on the perspective of the individual. Consider tax cuts as an example, the wealthy generally support this move while the impoverished resist it.

There are 3 major factors that create the conditions for social change: 1.Leadership Max Weber determined that a charismatic leader, one who is characterized by large vision, magnetic style, and strong popular support can sway people and change society.

Pierre Trudeau

Trudeau at the 1968 Liberal Party Leadership Convention Trudeaumania Trudeau Dancing

John F. Kennedy

Kennedy vs. Nixon. The 1 st televised candidates debate.

Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

2. The Role of Elites In most societies one or more modernizing elites can create social change and influence the direction in which it goes. These people are characterized as being politically involved and wealthy.

David Suzuki and his foundation promote environmental change powerwise-commercial powerwise-commercial

On July 13, 1985 a multi-venue rock concert was held to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The hope was to raise about $2.5 million. In the end Live Aid efforts raised over $250 million for the cause. “We are the World”live aid documentarylive aid documentary

3.A Populace Ready for Change The vision of an influential leader can only lead to change if it is matched by the ‘mood’ of the public. If the population isn’t ready for the proposed change then nothing will happen.

Russian Revolution, 1917

Civil Rights Movement, 1960sI have a dream...[Martin Luther King]I have a dream...[Martin Luther King]

Obama, 2008Barack Obama inauguration speechBarack Obama inauguration speech

There are also impediments to social change: 1.Traditional Cultural Values In a society that holds a traditional worldview it is nearly impossible to push the idea of modernity. The maintenance of tradition typically benefits the poor-working class while modernists are usually comprised of rich elites. If the social change comes at the expense of the poor, they typically resist it through desertion, sabotage, slow working, etc. This is regardless of the fact that the social change may benefit the society at large.

Attempted assimilation of Native Canadians

Residential Schools

Deforestation in Brazil in order to feed grazing cattle

2. The Expense Many social programs come at the expense of the tax payer. Even if a program is encouraged by the public at large it may be resisted by the government because they are unable or unwilling to support all the ideas.

The Ontario government has approved a controversial logging plan that will destroy critical woodland caribou habitat and undermine key conservation commitments by Premier McGuinty, say Greenpeace and Earthroots. Every tree logged in the Ogoki forest will be pulped to make toilet paper, junk mail, and other disposable paper products.

Number of new child care spaces promised by the present government, by 2009: 250,000 Number of child care spaces that Campaign 2000 estimates are currently needed in Canada: 1.4 million In a 2003 poll, percentage of Canadians who: agreed that Canada should have a nationally co-ordinated child care plan: 90% agreed that there can be a publicly funded child care system that makes quality child care available to all Canadian children: 86%