lec16 13 politics

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SOC101Y

Introduction to Sociology

Professor Robert Brym

Lecture #16Politics and Social Movements

6 March 13

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Today’s Topics 

Politics “by the rules”  

Electoral politics Politics “beyond the rules”  

Social movements

War

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 Voter Turnout,Canadian Federal Elections

Voters as percent of eligible voters 

Voter turnout fell 19.5 percent from 1958 to 2011 and will drop

below 50 percent in 2041 if current trends continue. 

Year Age Cohort

Voter turnout is falling mainly because fewer young

people vote than in the past. As these 2011 data show,

the youngest Canadians are the least likely to vote. Voters as percent of eligible voters 

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Federal Political Contributors, byIncome and Region, Canada

Contributors/10,000 tax filers 

Income category 

Region 

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Political Apathy and Cynicism, by Annual Household Income,

Canada, 2004

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Major Characteristics ofCanadian Democracy Today

1. Large, persistent, wealth-based

inequalities in political influenceand political participation

2. Widespread political apathy,

especially among youth3. Somewhat left of centre

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LEFT RIGHT

 Supports extensivegovernment involvement inthe economy; a strong social safety netof health, education andwelfare benefits to help the

less well-off; equal rights for womenand racial and sexualminorities; environmental protectionby regulation.

 Supports minimal

government involvement inthe economy; a small welfare state; individual initiative instimulating economicgrowth; traditional social andmoral values; a free market approach

to the environment.

 Average Canadian Average American

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How do Canada’s political parties varyfrom left to right? (percent of 2008

vote in parentheses)

Note: The Left versus Right index is the percent of each party’s supporters who favour enhanced socialspending supported by tax increases minus the percent who favour reduced social spending and tax cuts.

(37.6)

(10.0)

(18.2)

(6.8)

(26.2)

61% left 38% right

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Organization is Power

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Consequences of Working Class Powerin 18 Rich Countries, 1946 –76

% non-agriculturalworkforceunionized

Socialistshare of

government

% of nationalincome to top10% of income

earners

%poor

2 mainlysocialistcountries

68.5 High 21.8 4.3

7 partlysocialistcountries

46.6 Medium 23.6 7.8

9 non-

socialistcountries

28.0 Low 28.3 10.8

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Non-conventional Political Action,Canada, 1981-2006

(percent “done” and “might”) Percent

Statistically significant increase

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Relative Deprivation Theory

Time

Rewards

Rewards expected

Rewards received

Intolerable gap

People feel relatively deprived when they experience an intolerable gap between the social rewards they

think they deserve and the social rewards they expect to receive. Social rewards are widely valued

goods, including money, education, security, prestige, etc. Accordingly, people are most likely to rebel

against authority when rising expectations (brought on by, say, rapid economic growth and migration) are

met by a sudden decline in social rewards (due to, say, economic recession or war).

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Resource Mobilization Theory

Resource mobilization theory  is based onthe idea that social movements can emergeonly when disadvantaged people can marshal

the means necessary to challenge authority.Foremost among the resources they need tochallenge authority is the capacity to forgestrong social ties among themselves. Otherimportant resources that allow disadvantagedpeople to challenge authority include jobs,money, arms, and access to means of

spreading their ideas.

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Weighted Frequency of Strikes,Canada, 1946-2008

   S   t  r   i   k  e  s

   /   1   0   0 ,   0

   0   0  n  o  n  -  a  g  r   i  c  u

   l   t  u  r  a   l  w  o  r   k  e  r  s

1946 Year  

20081974

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Percent of Non-Agricultural WorkersUnionized, Canada, 1925-2009

Percent unionized

Year  

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How Social Movements

Changed, 1700-2000

1700  1900  2000 

Characteristics ofsocial movements 

Small,local,

violent

Large,national,

less

violent

Large,international,

less violent

Cause of change Growth of

state

Globalization

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War

 A war is a violent, armed conflict betweenpolitically distinct groups who fight toprotect or increase their control of territory.

Wars may take place: between countries (interstate war)

special type: colonial war, which

involves a colony engaging in armedconflict with an imperial power to gainindependence

within countries (civil or societal war)

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Global Trends in ViolentConflict, 1946-2007

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The Risk of War, 2008-10

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Type of Governmentby Income Category

Income Category

Percent

Note: Democracy= rule by thecitizenry;autocracy =absolute rule bya single personor party;intermediate =some elements ofdemocracy (e.g,regular elections)and some ofautocracy (e.g.,no institutionalchecks on

presidentialpower).

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Forms of Modern Warfare,1700-1945

The modern state increasinglymonopolized the means of coercion.

 As a result, regional, ethnic, andreligious wars declined, and interstatewarfare became the norm.

While conflict became more deadly,civilian life was pacified.

Ch i F f W f

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Changing Form of Warfaresince World War II

There have been fewer interstate warsand more civil wars, guerilla wars,massacres, terrorist attacks, and instances

of attempted ethnic cleansing andgenocide perpetrated by militias,mercenaries, paramilitaries, suicide

bombers, and so on. Large-scale violence has increasingly been

visited on civilian rather than military

populations.

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Total and Fatal Terrorist Attacks,1970-2007

 All attacks

Fatal attacks

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Why Warfare Changedafter World War II

Decolonization and separatist movementsroughly doubled the number of weak,independent states in the world.

The USA, the USSR, China and Cuba oftensubsidized and sent arms to domesticopponents of regimes that were aligned

against them. The expansion of international trade in

contraband provided separatist rebels with

new means of support