Popular Struggles and Movements

Akbarali Charankavsocialscienceclub.blogspot.com

Democracy in NepalIt was a democratic country up to 1990

Constitutional Monarchy - Birendra

Killed in 2001 - massacre

King Gyanendra - Dismissed the Prime Minister and Parliament

2006 - People started movement

SPA - Seven Party Alliance

Maoist Cooperation

April 24 - Girija Prasad Koirala

Bolivia’s Water WarWater supply of Cochabamb City

MNC

Bill increased 4 times

2000 Jan- 4 Days Strike

Led by - Labours , Human Rights, Community leader

Martial Law -Contract also ended

Conclusion

1. Democracy evolves through Popular StrugglesB/w Who has power / who has no power

2. Democratic conflict is resolved through mass mobilisation

Need to organise to gain their rights / needs

3.Conflict and mobilisation are based of new political Organisation Need Political Parties , Pressure group

Mobilisation and Organisation SPA

Big Political Parties

Nepalese Communist Parties ( Maoist)

Labour Union ,

Other Organisation, Like Teachers, lawyers

Bolivia It was not led by any political partyLed by - FEDECOR LOCAL professionals

EngineersEnvironmentalists Socialist partyFactory workers

Feracion Departamental Cochabambina de Regantes

Let’s begin today’s lesson.

Role of Organisation ★ Direct Participation in Politics

○ Creating Political parties

○ Contesting elections

★ Indirect Participation○ Form Organisation

○ Promote their interests - interest groups

Pressure groups & movements

➔ Groups are organizations that attempt to influence government policies

➔ Do not aim to directly control or share political power.

➔ Eg: AITUC , VHP, SFI,

➔ movement also attempts to influence politics rather than directly take part in electoral competition.

➔ They have loose organisation

➔ Decision making is flexible

➔ They depend much more spontaneous mass participation.

➔ Eg : Chipko Movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan

Sectional Interest Groups★Interest groups seek to promote the interests of a particular

section or group of society.

★Trade unions, business associations and professional (lawyers, doctors, teachers etc)

★Their principal concern is the betterment and well being of their members not society in general.

Promotional groups or public interest groups.➔ Promote collective rather than selective.

➔ FEDECOR (Feracion Departamental Cochabambina de Regantes)

➔ Represents some common or general interest that needs to be defended.

➔ Members may not benefit from the cause that the organisation represents.

➔ Promote collective rather than selective good.

➔ They aim to help groups other than their own members.

➔ Eg: group fighting against bonded labour fights

➔ Eg : Caste discrimination BAMCEF (Backward and Minorities Community Employees Federation

Movement Groups➔ Starting with single issue, later spread

➔ Movements , which have to achieve a broad goal in the long term.

➔ They have a similar approach

➔ Their active life is usually short.

➔ Eg :Narmada Bachao Andolan

➔ Environmental movements , Many organisations

➔ women’s movement.

➔ broad objective and

Sometimes these broad movements have a loose umbrella

organisation as well.

National Alliance for Peoples’Movements (NAPM)

Many groups worked under the leadership of NAPM

How do Pressure groups influence in politics?There are 5 ways

1. By Raising Public issues

They try to gain public support and sympathy for their goals and activities by carrying out information campaigns, organising meetings, filing petitions, etc

Media attention

2. Most of these groups try to influence the media into giving more attention to these issues

3. They often organise protest activities such as strikes or disrupting government programmes

4. Business groups often employ professional lobbyists or sponsor expensive advertisements.

5. Some persons from pressure groups or movement groups may participate in official bodies and committees that offer advice to the government.

Eg : Students Organisations - trade unions leaders

6. Sometimes political parties grow out of movements.

DMK and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu - drawn social reform movement during the 1930 and 1940s.

7. Most of the new leadership of political parties comes from interest or movement groups

Is Their Influence Healthy?Yes.

The government gets to hear about what different sections of the population want; thus leading to a rough balance of power.

Government concerns ordinary citizens.

Different groups function actively, no single group can achieve dominance over society.