Explain the balance between the role of social movements and democracy. In what democratic circumstances would social movements be unnecessary, necessary, valuable, important, dangerous, etc.?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1, Explain that social movements would be unnecessary in a perfect democratic society, where change would occur through elections, public opinion, and party/interest group activity; conversely, democracy that depended too much on social movements would not be functioning correctly, and in an imperfect democracy social movements can play a very important role in the democratic process.
2, Explain that social movements are ways by which political outsiders and the politically powerless can become players in the political game. Social movements are valuable tools for ensuring popular sovereignty, political equality, and political liberty. However, in some cases, social movements can pose a threat to democracy. Small minorities who force elected officials to respond to their demands because of the tangible threat of social disruption might occasionally get their way.
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A. gives repressive governments less power to keep track of dissidents B. makes it harder for governments to gather and store information C. makes it harder for governments to hide information from each other D. is desired by only advanced, industrialized countries