Social Movements In A Global Context - Research Paper Example

Social Movements In A Global Context Introduction: This paper aims at analyzing a socio-economic movement, and the conditions that facilitate the emergence and the sustenance of the movement. This is for purposes of providing an alternative national and regional development models. In almost all countries of the globe, economically advanced or privileged groups are always involved in exploiting other groups (Tilly, 2004). This is for purposes of advancing their interests, and agenda, as opposed to the interests of other communities. A good example is the American society, during the 18th and the 19th century. The African Americans were disadvantaged, and they were not treated equally, as their white counterparts (Bantjes, 2007). These people had separate social and economic entities, in comparison to the whites, and on most occasions, the social services they accessed were of low quality. This is the reason of the emergence of the civil right movements in the 1950s, and 1960s, in United States, for purposes of pressing for equality in the manner which people were treated in the states (Wolinetz, 2007). This led to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal for anybody to be discriminated, based on race, gender, religion, social orientation, etc (Tilly, 2004). This is an indication that social movements play an important role, in ensuring that there is equitable development within a state. It is important to understand that social movements are always formed by the vulnerable groups, and through these movements, these people gain the courage of fighting against political, social and economic suppression (Bantjes, 2007). Social movements are therefore important instruments used to solve the various social issues that affect the community (Wolinetz, 2007). A good example of a social movement is the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation was formed for purposes of alleviating the suffering of farmers, and workers who were greatly oppressed under the capitalistic system initiated by Canada. History of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF): The CCF was formed in 1932, in the region of Calgary, Alberta. It was formed by a number of agrarian, labors, cooperative, and socialist groups. In 1944, this movement was able to form the first socio-democratic government in Canada (Tilly, 2004). The movement was elected to form the provincial government of Saskatchewan. Majority of the movement, first members of parliament came from the Ginger Group, which was primary composed of Labor member of parliaments, Left-Wing progressive movement, and the United Farmers of Alberta (Brownsey, 2001). This is an indication that the CCF movement was popular in Canada, and majority of the population were able to identify with its grievances (Bantjes, 2007). Some of the prominent leaders of this movement included William Irvine, Ted Garland, Humphrey Mitchell, etc. These people were elected as members of parliament, under the party of United Farmers of Alberta (Pickvance, 2003). This is an indication that the main support base of this movement was amongst the farmers of Alberta (Wolinetz, 2007). The league for social reconstruction was also involved in the creation and development of the movement (McMenemy, 2006). Its leaders such as Frank Underhill and F.R Scott were involved in the negotiations and signing of the charter that formed the Cooperative Commonwealth Movement. Mr. J.S. Woodsworth was the first leader of this party, and he was an independent labor member of parliament since the year 1921 (Wolinetz, 2007). Furthermore, he was a member of the Member of Parliament affiliated to the Ginger Group. In 1933, the movement held its first convention in Saskatchewan, and created the Regina Manifesto (McMenemy, 2006). This manifesto was able to outline a number of goals, and this includes enactment of a universal public pension system, public ownership of important industries, universal health care, unemployment allowance, children allowances, and workers compensation. This means that the party was advocating against the capitalistic form of governance, in exchange of the socialist form of governance (Pickvance, 2003). Aims and Objective of the Cooperative Common Wealth: The CCF had its own objectives and aims. The aim of the CCF was to alleviate or reduce the suffering that farmers and workers were passing through, because of the adoption of capitalism. This is specifically during the periods of the Great Depression (Smith, 2008). Farmers and workers believed that by creating a Cooperative Commonwealth, they would be able to advocate for political reforms, economic cooperation, and promote an aspect referred to as public ownership of the economy (Wilde, 2012). This means that everybody within the country will have an equal opportunity to contribute to the economic, political, and social development of the country (Bantjes, 2007). Through the formation of this movement, its founders hoped that they would manage to promote good and accountable governance. The term cooperative commonwealth is used to refer to a community which is free from the domination of an irresponsible economic and financial power, whereby all social methods of distribution and production, including land, are controlled and owned by an organized group of consumers and producers (Coy, 2005). The term cooperative commonwealth is used to refer to the management and control of public utilities and organizations, by institutions which are accountable to the people. This means that any policies that the managers of these utilities create must be for purposes of satisfying the demands and needs of its people, or citizens (Brownsey, 2001). Through accountability in the management of public utilities, this movement believed that there would be good governance, minimal corruption, and the plight of workers and farmers would improve. Based on these facts, it is important to explain that the main aim and objective of the CCF was to introduce socialism, in Canada (Courtney, 2010). Its intention was to eradicate capitalism, and enact programs aimed at achieving an equitable distribution of resources and wealth. It was impossible to achieve this objective through a capitalistic government (Wilde, 2012). Conditions that Led to the emergence of the CCF Movement: Democracy is one of the main factors that play a role in the emergence of socio-economic movements. All countries that have robust socio-economic movements are always democratic in nature, and their economies are liberalized (Pickvance, 2003). This is one of the conditions or factors that makes it possible for a social movement to occur, or exist. In the 1930s, Canada was a democratic state, and their leaders were elected by a popular vote (Merino, 2012). Furthermore, the leaders and founders of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation were members of parliament. This means that they were people who were popularly elected, because of their views and ideologies that they were standing for (Staggenborg, 2011). For example, the leader of the Party, Mr. James Woodsworth, was a member of parliament, and he was also affiliated to the Ginger Group (Bantjes, 2007). Countries such as United States, United Kingdom, and France have a robust social movement, mainly because they are democratic in nature. These movements are able to check the excesses of the government, and promote good governance, and leadership which is accountable(McMenemy, 2006). This is the reason why the cooperative commonwealth federation emerged, for purposes of promoting accountability and good governance. In fact, the movement was against the enactment of capitalism in Canada (Coy, 2005). This is because capitalism was responsible for the development of political, social and economic inequality in the country. The founders of the CCF party were advocating for the promotion of a universal good, which could only become possible through the adoption of a socialist agenda (Brownsey, 2001). These people could only air their grievances, in a system that recognized the right of association, speech, and expression. Only democratic countries have the ability of giving out such kind of rights. Countries such as Russia and China are considered undemocratic, and on this basis, very few social movements exist. This is because any movement that comes up in opposition to the government is crushed down, and its members are imprisoned (Courtney, 2010). For example in 2012, the members of the Russian Band, by the name of the Punk Band were imprisoned for two years, for purposes of spreading messages that were against the government (Wilde, 2012). Another example is of Sergei Udaltsov, who was sentenced to four years in prison, for purposes of organizing rallies, aimed at criticizing the leadership of president Putin. In such kind of political and social environment, it is virtually impossible for social movements to emerge and thrive (Brownsey, 2001). Another condition or reason that makes it possible for social movements to emerge is the presence of a social ill or evil. Most of these social movements that emerge are aimed at solving particular social and economic challenges that a society faces. For example, members of the cooperative commonwealth federation believed that capitalism is the root cause of inequality and greed. Based on this fact, the members of this movement wanted to force the government to initiate policies aimed at promoting equality amongst the people of Canada (Courtney, 2010). Furthermore, this movement aimed at fighting unemployment, which was rampant during the periods of the Great Depression. They believed that it was the capitalistic system of the economy, which played a great role in advancing unemployment (Staggenborg, 2011). Unemployment is a negative issue that can affect the economy of a state, and the living condition of the people who are unemployed (Orsini and Smith, 2010). Based on this fact, the cooperative commonwealth federation aimed at passing the burden suffered by the jobless people, to the government. Bantjes (2007) further explains that another condition that helps in sustaining the development of a social movement is the support it gets from its members. This support can either be financial, or in kind. The cooperative commonwealth federation had numerous supports from the farmers, and workers in Canada (Orsini and Smith, 2010). This included, the political party formed by the farmers of Alberta, referred to as the United Farmers of Alberta. This party was responsible for governing the province of Alberta, and it played a great role in financially supporting the activities of the federation (Brownsey, 2001). Other groups that supported the federation include the Ginger Group and the League for Social Reconstruction (Merino, 2012). These groups were able to rally the support of trade unions, in supporting the cause of the federation. It is these groups that made it possible for the federation to succeed in its early years of formation (Pickvance, 2003). The Challenges that the CCF Faced: After the Second World War, the appeal of the CCF was able to gradually decline. One of the major reasons for the decline of this party was based on the fact that it was accused of supporting communism (Orsini and Smith, 2010). The people of Canada feared the enactment of communism in the state, and they saw the emergence of the CCF as a tool of the Soviets, in their bid to introduce communism in the country (Courtney, 2010). For example, the mayor of Vancouver believed that the emergence of the CCF was a proof that communism, as advanced by the Soviet Union, had gained entry in Canada. Furthermore, the post war period was associated with the Cold War, and Canada was on the side of United States (Brownsey, 2001). This association was therefore very damaging, and people did not want to associate themselves with the party. Because of this perception, the party was almost falling, but in 1956, it was able rebrand itself, by replacing its Regina Manifesto, with a new manifesto referred to as the Winnipeg Declaration (Coy, 2005). This declaration sought to make the federation to denounce its earlier stand on capitalism, and seek to promote some aspects of it (Pickvance, 2003). However, this was unable to reverse the trend, and in 1958, the party was only able to eight parliamentary seats in Canada (Merino, 2012). This is an indication that the people of Canada did not want anything associated with socialism that the party was seeking to advance (Brownsey, 2001). Based on this fact, one of the major challenges that this social movement faced was the fading of the belief that socialism is a good style of governance. This therefore means that the movement was losing the support of the people who once believed in it. Maintaining the support of its supporters is therefore one of the major weaknesses and challenge of social movements (Coy, 2005). Conclusion: In conclusion, the cooperative commonwealth federation was formed for purposes of fighting the inequalities associated with capitalism. This was a social movement, whose aim was to fight for the jobless, the farmers and workers, who were exploited by the dominant members of the society. However, this movement did not achieve its objective, because the people of Canada began associating it, with communism. References: Bantjes, R. (2007). Social movements in a global context Canadian perspectives. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Brownsey, K. (2001). The provincial state in Canada: Politics in the provinces and territories. Peterborough, Ont., Canada: Broadview Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Courtney, J. (2010). The Oxford handbook of Canadian politics. New York: Oxford University Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Coy, P. (2005). Research in social movements, conflicts and change. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI. Top of Form Bottom of Form McMenemy, J. (2006). The language of Canadian politics a guide to important terms and concepts (4th ed.). Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 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