The first mass social movement rallied around a jailed London newspaper editor
John Wilkes, editor of The North Briton, savaged Lord Bute's government and the peace terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris. Arrested for seditious libel under a general warrant, later exiled, he returned to stand for Parliament. When he was locked in the King's Bench Prison on 10 May 1768, crowds filled the streets chanting No liberty, no King.
Historians tie the rise of such movements to mid-eighteenth-century changes in England: debates over political representation, the spread of markets and the growth of a wage-earning class. Later scholars argue that wider literacy and the labour mobility brought by nineteenth-century industrialisation and urbanisation made modern Western movements possible. Many movements of the past century, such as the Mau Mau in Kenya, arose to oppose colonialism. Movements occasionally help democratise nations but more often flourish once democracy is established.
Definitions vary. Sociologist Charles Tilly saw movements as a series of contentious performances through which ordinary people make collective claims, built from three elements: sustained campaigns, a repertoire of tactics such as rallies, vigils, petitions and pamphlets, and displays of what he called WUNC, meaning worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment. Sidney Tarrow stressed collective challenges by people bound by common purpose, and separated movements from parties and advocacy groups. Mario Diani found most definitions share three features: informal networks, involvement in political or cultural conflict and a shared collective identity.
Other scholars emphasise beliefs. John McCarthy and Mayer Zald described a movement as a set of opinions within a population favouring changes to social structure or how rewards are shared. Paul van Seeters and Paul James list minimal conditions: a collective identity, shared norms, concern to change the status quo, and practical actions connected over time.
Not every movement seeks a fairer society; scholars have described fascism as one, aiming to entrench power rather than spread it. Political scientists study how movements set agendas and sometimes give birth to new parties. Today, successful movements adapt to new communication tools, using the internet and social media to mobilise supporters across the globe.
Source: Social movement
