Popular Struggles & Movements Summary Class 10 Social Science Chapter 1

Popular struggles in Nepal and Bolivia

Movement for democracy in Nepal

• Nepal won democracy in 1990.
• King Birendra, who has accepted constitutional monarchy, was killed in a mysterious massacre of the royal family in 2001.
• King Gyanendra, the new king of Nepal, was not prepared to accept democratic rule.
• In February 2005, the king dismissed the then Prime Minister and dissolved the elected Parliament.
• The movement of 2006 started to regain democracy.
• All major political parties formed a Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and called for a ‘four day strike’ in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
• The protest turned into indefinite strike joined by Maoist ad other organisations also.
• They demanded restoration of parliament, power to an all-party government and a new constituent assembly.
• On 24 April 2006, the last day of the ultimatum, the king was forced to accept all the three demands.
• Girija Prasad Koirala became the new Prime Minister of the interim government as chosen by SPA. 
• The Maoists and SPA agreed to have a new Constituent Assembly.
• This struggle came to be known as Nepal’s second movement for democracy.

Bolivia’s Water War

• Bolivia is a poor country in Latin America.
• The World Bank forced the government to give up its control of municipal water supply and sold these rights for the city of Cochabamba to a multi-national company (MNC).
• After controlling water supply, the company increased the price by four times.
• This led to a spontaneous popular protest.
• In January 2000, a new alliance of labour, human rights and community leaders called FEDECOR organised a successful four-day general strike in the city.
• The government agreed to negotiate and the strike ended but nothing changed.
• The protest started again in February and police used brutal methods to control it.
• Another strike followed in April and the government imposed martial law. 
• But the power of the people forced the officials of the MNC to flee the city and made government accept all their demands.
• The contract with the MNC was cancelled and water supply was restored to the municipality at old rates. 
• This came to be known as Bolivia’s water war.

Mobilisation and organisations

Who joined struggle in Nepal?

• SPA or the Seven Party Alliance in Nepal which included some big parties that had some members in the Parliament.
• The protest was joined by the Nepalese Communist Party (Maoist) which did not believe in parliamentary democracy.
• Other than political parties, all the major labour unions and their federations joined this movement.
• The organisation of the indigenous people, teachers, lawyers and human rights groups also extended support to the movement.

Who joined struggle in Bolivia?

• The protest against water privatisation in Bolivia was led by an organisation called FEDECOR.
  • This organisation comprised local professionals, including engineers and environmentalists which were supported by a federation of farmers, the confederation of factory workers’ unions, middle class students from the the University of Cochabamba and the city’s growing population of homeless street children.
• Later, the movement was supported by the Socialist Party. In 2006, this party came to power in Bolivia.

Differences between political parties and pressure groups

• Pressure groups do not enjoy power directly, whereas the political parties do.
• Pressure groups usually represent a particular section or view of the society; on the other hand, political parties represent bigger social divisions.
• Pressure groups do not contest elections, whereas political parties contest elections and run the government.
• At a given point of time, a person can be a member of only one political party but a member of many pressure groups.
• Examples of pressure groups are Lawyers Association, Teachers ‘Association, Trade Unions, Students ‘Unions  and so on.
• Examples of political parties are BJP, INC, NCP etc.

Pressure groups/Interest Groups and movements

• Pressure groups are organisations that attempt to influence government policies.
• These organisations are formed when people with common occupation, interest, aspirations or opinions come together in order to achieve a common objective.
• Like an interest group, a movement also attempts to influence politics rather than directly take part in electoral competition.
• Examples are Narmada Bachao Andolan, Movement for Right to Information, Anti-liquor Movement, Women’s Movement, Environmental Movement.
• Unlike the interest groups, movements have a loose organisation. 
• Their decision making is more informal and flexible. 
• They depend much more on spontaneous mass participation.

Sectional interest groups

• They seek to promote the interests of a particular section or group of society such as workers, employees, business-persons, industrialists etc.
• Examples are Trade unions, business associations.
• Their main concern is the betterment and well-being of their members, not society in general.
• However, sometimes they represent some common or general interest that needs to be defended.

Public Interest Groups

• Also called promotional groups as they promote collective rather than selective good.
• They aim to help groups other than their own members.
• Example: A group fighting bonded labour fights for everyone who is suffering under such bondage.
• In some cases, the members of a public interest group may undertake activity that benefits them as well as others too.

Movement Groups

• Movement Groups are of two types: Issue specific and Generic Movements.

Issue Specific

• Most of the movements are of these types that seek to achieve a single objective within a limited time frame.
• Example: Nepalese movement for democracy arose with the specific objective of reversing the king’s orders that led to suspension of democracy.
• Narmada Bachao Andolan started with the specific issue of the people displaced by the creation of Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river. 
  • Its objective was to stop the dam from being constructed.
  • Gradually it became a wider movement that questioned all such big dams and the model of development that required such dams.
• Movements of this kind tend to have a clear leadership and some organisation.
• These movement usually have short life.

Generic Movements

• These movements seek to achieve more than one issue in a very long term.
• Example: Environmental movement and the women’s movement.
• There is no single organisation that controls or guides such movements.
• All of these have separate organisations, independent leadership and often different views on policy related matters.
• Sometimes these broad movements have a loose umbrella organisation as well. For example, the National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements (NAPM).

What is NAPM?

• NAPM stands for National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements. It is association of organisations which coordinates the activities of a large number of peoples’ movements in India.

How do Pressure groups and Movements influence politics in India?

• They try to gain public support and sympathy for their goals and their activities by carrying out information campaigns, organising meetings, filing petitions, etc. 
• They try to influence the media into giving more attention to these issues.
• They often organise protest activity like strikes or disrupting government programmes.
• Business groups often employ professional lobbyists or sponsor expensive advertisements. 
• Some persons from pressure groups or movement groups may participate in official bodies and committees that offer advice to the government.
• Interest groups influence political parties.
• They have political ideology and political position on major issues.

Relationship between Pressure/Movement Groups and Political Parties

• In some instances, the pressure groups are either formed or led by the leaders of political parties. Example: most trade unions and students’ organisations in India are either established by, or affiliated to a political party.
• Sometimes political parties grow out of movements. Example: Asom Gana Parishad in Assam, DMK and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
• In most cases, parties and interest or movement groups are opposed to each other yet they are in dialogue and negotiation.
• Most of the new leadership of political parties comes from interest or movement groups.

Influence of Pressure/Movement Groups on Indian Politics

Positive Influences

• Pressure groups and movements have deepened democracy. 
• Governments can often come under undue pressure from a small group of rich and powerful people. Public interest groups and movements perform a useful role of countering this undue influence and reminding the government of the needs and concerns of ordinary citizens. 

Negative Influences

• Sometimes, pressure groups with small public support but lots of money can hijack public discussion in favour of their narrow agenda.
• These groups exercise power without responsibility.
• When one group starts dominating and dictating the government, other pressure groups have to bring counter pressure.