Working class movements in the capitalist west were wresting better wages, better living conditions, social security, free schooling and health security from the state. That was also a period when socialist movements were establishing new kinds of states and societies. The old social movements clearly saw reorganisation of power relations as a central goal. The old social movements functioned within the frame of political parties. The Indian National Congress led the Indian National Movement. The Communist Party of China led the Chinese Revolution. Today some believe that ‘old’ class-based political action led by trade unions and workers’ parties is on the decline. Others argued that in the affluent West with its welfare state, issues of class-based exploitation and inequality were no longer central concerns. So the ‘new’ social movements were not about changing the distribution of power in society but about quality-of-life issues such as having a clean environment.
New social movements are not just about ‘old’ issues of economic inequality. Nor are they organised along class lines alone. Identity politics, cultural anxieties and aspirations are essential elements in creating social movements and occur in ways that are difficult to trace to class-based inequality. Often, these social movements unite participants across class boundaries.
The central goal of old social movements was:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Reorganisation of power relations.
Option (1) Cultural preservation. — Incorrect. Cultural anxieties and identity politics are elements of the new social movements, not the goal of the old ones.
Option (2) Reorganisation of power relations. — Correct. Working class movements in the capitalist West won better wages, living conditions and social security from the state, and socialist movements set up new kinds of states. The old social movements saw reorganisation of power relations as a central goal.
Option (3) Environmental protection. — Incorrect. A clean environment is a quality-of-life issue of the new social movements.
Option (4) Technological development. — Incorrect. The old movements fought for wages, social security, schooling and health – a change in who holds power, not new technology.
Note: The passage of Q46-Q50 is the section ‘Distinguishing the new social movement from the old social movements’ of the NCERT chapter ‘Social Movements’, reproduced almost word for word. A contrast such as ‘old versus new’ is easy to lift into a passage, so learn both sides of every such contrast.
NCERT (2025-26): “Distinguishing the new social movement from the old social movements … Working class movements in the capitalist west were wresting better wages, better living conditions, social security, free schooling and health security from the state. That was also a period when socialist movements were establishing new kinds of states and societies. The old social movements clearly saw reorganisation of power relations as a central goal.…” |