Why People Mobilize
Social movements are organized, sustained efforts by groups of people to promote or resist social change through collective action outside institutional channels. They emerge when grievances intersect with opportunity: relative deprivation theory argues people mobilize when they perceive a gap between what they have and what they believe they deserve. However, grievances alone are insufficient — resource mobilization theory (McCarthy and Zald) emphasizes that movements need organizational capacity, leaders, funding, communication networks, and strategic framing. Political process theory (McAdam) adds that movements emerge when political opportunities open — regime instability, elite divisions, or new allies — making success seem possible. All three factors typically converge in successful movements.