POPULAR STRUGGLES AND MOVEMENTS Civics Notes Class 10th

1) ISSUE SPECIFIC & GENERAL MOVEMENT

• Issue specific and general movement tries to achieve a single objective within a limited time. E.g. Nepalese Movement.
• General/Generic movement tries to achieve a broad goal in a long time. E.g. Environmental movements.
• In India Narmada Bachao Andolan is a good example of issue specific and general movements. It started with specific issue of the people displaced by creation of Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River. Its objective was to stop dam from being constructed gradually it becomes a wider movement that questioned all such big dam. Movements of this kind tend to have a clear leadership and some organizations.
• Environmental movements & Women’s movements example of long term movements. In such movements no single organization that control or guides such movements.
• Sometime the broad movements have a loose umbrella organization as well. E.g. The National Alliance of people’s Movements in an organization of organizations.

A) How do pressure groups and movements influence politics?

• Pressure groups try to get public support and sympathy for their activities by carrying out information campaigns, organizing meetings & filling politicians. They try to influence the media for their cause.
• They often organize protest activity like strikes or disrupting government programs.
• Business groups often employ professional lobbyists or sponsor expensive advertisement.

B) What are the relationship political parties and pressure groups?

• The pressure groups are formed or led by leaders of political parties or act as extended arms of political parties. E.g. Student union.
• Sometimes political parties grow out of movements. E.g. When Assam movement led by the students against foreigners came to an end, it led to formation of Assam Gana Parishad. The roots of parties like DMK, AIADMK in Tamil Nadu can be forced to a long drawn social reform movement during 1930s and 1940s.
• Most of the cases relationship between parties and interest groups is not so direct. They often take positions that are opposed to each other.
• Most of the new leadership of political parties comes from Movement Interest Groups.

C) Difference between political parties & pressure groups.

• Political parties have to face people in election.
• But pressure groups do not.
• Pressure groups are not accountable to people but the political parties are accountable to people.
• Pressure group may not get funds and support from people but political parties get fund and support from people.
• Pressure groups with lot of money hijack public decision in favor of them.

D) Importance of movement and pressure group.

• Pressure groups and movement have deepened democracy.
• Putting pressure on rulers is not an unhealthy activity in a democracy.
• Pressure groups remind the government of the needs & concerns of ordinary citizens.
• When one sectional interest group brings pressure on the government to make policies in its favor, another will make counter-pressure not to make policies in favor of first group.

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