Social Movements and Protests – Solved PYQs of Sociology – UGC NET

Political Factions, Pressure Groups

1. “Integrate the working class into capitalist societies, making them less likely to become a radical or revolutionary force.” This statement is related to: (PYQ – JUNE 2013)

(A) Political Parties
(B) Interest Groups
(C) Trade Unions
(D) Peer Group

Correct Answer: (C) Trade Unions

Explanation:

The statement refers to the role of Trade Unions in modern capitalist societies. Trade unions are organizations formed by workers to protect and promote their economic, social, and occupational interests. They negotiate with employers regarding wages, working conditions, job security, working hours, and employee benefits. While trade unions emerged as instruments of workers’ collective struggle, many sociologists and political theorists have argued that they also perform an integrative function within capitalist systems.

According to several Marxist and Neo-Marxist perspectives, trade unions often help channel workers’ grievances into institutional and legal forms of negotiation rather than revolutionary action. Instead of seeking the overthrow of capitalism, unions frequently focus on obtaining better wages, improved working conditions, and social security measures within the existing economic structure. This process reduces class conflict and encourages workers to pursue reforms rather than radical transformation.

The sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset and other scholars studying industrial societies observed that trade unions became important mediating institutions between workers, employers, and the state. Through collective bargaining, workers gain representation and a sense of participation in economic decision-making. As a result, dissatisfaction is often managed through negotiations, agreements, and labor laws rather than through revolutionary movements.

In advanced capitalist societies, the development of collective bargaining, welfare policies, labor legislation, and recognized trade union rights contributed to the incorporation of the working class into mainstream political and economic institutions. This integration weakened the possibility of widespread revolutionary movements that classical Marxist theory had predicted. Trade unions became recognized stakeholders in industrial relations, helping maintain social stability while securing benefits for workers.

Political sociologists have often described trade unions as organizations that simultaneously defend workers’ interests and contribute to the stability of the capitalist system. By providing a legitimate channel for expressing demands and resolving conflicts, they help integrate the working class into the broader framework of capitalist society while reducing the likelihood of radical or revolutionary mobilization.

2. Which of the following are characteristics of social movement? (PYQ – JUNE 2020)

(a) It is a collective behaviour
(b) It is oriented towards goals
(c) It can bring or resist change
(d) Causes of movement are always real, known or unknown
(e) Movement is caused by deprivation only

Choose the most appropriate answer:

(A) (a), (b), (d) only
(B) (b), (c), (c) only
(C) (a), (b), (c) only
(D) (c), (d), (e) only

Correct Answer: (C) (a), (b), (c) only

Explanation:

A social movement is a form of organized collective action undertaken by a group of people who seek to promote, resist, or reverse social change. Sociologists define social movements as sustained efforts by individuals and groups working together to achieve specific social, political, cultural, or economic objectives. They are an important mechanism through which societies respond to perceived injustices, inequalities, or emerging social concerns.

Statement (a) is correct because a social movement is fundamentally a form of collective behaviour. It involves the participation of a large number of people who share common concerns and act together to achieve particular goals. Unlike individual actions, social movements require collective mobilization and coordinated efforts.

Statement (b) is also correct because social movements are goal-oriented. They are not random or spontaneous activities without direction. Every social movement has certain objectives, whether it seeks policy changes, social reforms, cultural transformation, environmental protection, gender equality, civil rights, or resistance against particular forms of authority.

Statement (c) is correct because social movements may either seek to bring about change or resist change. Reform movements, revolutionary movements, environmental movements, feminist movements, and civil rights movements aim to introduce change. On the other hand, some movements emerge to preserve existing values, traditions, or institutions and resist proposed changes. Sociologists often classify these as reformative, revolutionary, redemptive, alternative, or conservative movements.

Statement (d) is not considered a defining characteristic of social movements. While grievances and causes may be based on real or perceived conditions, social movements cannot be characterized merely by the idea that their causes are always real, known, or unknown. Sociological theories show that movements emerge from a complex interaction of relative deprivation, resource mobilization, political opportunities, organizational strength, leadership, and collective identity.

Statement (e) is incorrect because social movements are not caused by deprivation alone. Earlier theories such as the Relative Deprivation Theory emphasized deprivation as a major cause, but later approaches like Resource Mobilization Theory and New Social Movement Theory demonstrated that movements can arise from concerns related to identity, environment, culture, human rights, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle issues. Many contemporary movements are led by groups that are not economically deprived but are motivated by values, rights, and social justice concerns.

Major sociologists such as Neil Smelser, Charles Tilly, Alain Touraine, and Manuel Castells have emphasized that social movements are organized collective efforts directed toward social objectives and are capable of shaping social structures, influencing public policy, creating new identities, and transforming patterns of social relations.