Political movement facts for kids
A political movement is a type of social movement that focuses on changing things in politics. Think of it as a group of people working together to make a difference in how a country or community is run.
These movements often form around a single important issue, like protecting the environment, or a set of shared concerns that a group of people have. For example, people might join a movement because they all believe in equal rights for everyone.
Political movements are different from political parties. A political party tries to get its members elected into government jobs, like being a president or a mayor. A political movement, however, doesn't usually try to elect people. Instead, it tries to convince regular people and government leaders to take action on the issues they care about. They want to change laws or policies, not necessarily run the government themselves.
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What Political Movements Do
Political movements are a way for groups of people who are not part of the government to express their ideas and try to get what they want in society. These groups are usually led by a few key people who inspire others to join. They often work to create a shared identity among their members, making everyone feel like they are part of something important.
A famous thinker named Charles Tilly studied how political movements work, especially when they become very strong and cause big changes. He showed how people come together to push for their goals.
Types of Political Movements
Political movements can be small, like a local group trying to save a park, or very large, like a worldwide effort to stop climate change. They can work in a small town, a whole country, or even across many countries.
Changing Government Policies
Many movements aim to change what the government does. Here are some examples:
- The anti-war movement tries to stop wars.
- The environmental movement works to protect our planet.
- The Anti-globalization movement questions how countries trade and interact globally.
Fighting for Rights
Other movements focus on getting or expanding rights for groups of people who might not have had them before.
- Abolitionism was a movement to end slavery.
- The women's suffrage movement fought for women's right to vote.
- The Civil rights movement worked for equal rights for all people, especially in the United States.
- Feminism aims for equal rights and opportunities for women.
- The Gay rights movement seeks equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
- The Disability rights movement works for equal rights and access for people with disabilities.
- The broader human rights movement defends the basic rights of every person.
Representing Group Interests
Some movements represent the interests of specific groups, like workers or people from a certain background.
- The Labour movement works to improve conditions and pay for workers.
- Socialism and Communism are ideas and movements about how society and wealth should be shared.
- Anticolonialist movements fought for countries to become independent from colonial rule.
- Zionism is a movement supporting the development and protection of a Jewish nation.
Changing Government Control
Some movements want to change how much control the government has.
- Anarchism is a belief that society should exist without a government.
- Fascism and Nazism were powerful movements that wanted a very strong, centralized government with a single leader.
Global Movements
Some experts believe that as the world becomes more connected through globalization, new types of political movements are appearing. These are called global citizens movements. They are not just about one country or one issue, but about big, worldwide changes. People are still discussing how much these global movements have grown and what they can achieve.
Images for kids
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The mid-19th century Scandinavism political movement led to the modern use of the term Scandinavia.
See also
In Spanish: Movimiento político para niños
