Pressure Croups—Their Role and Limitations
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120150319 |
| Date | 01 July 2015 |
| Published date | 01 July 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
NOTE
PRESSURE
CROUPS-
THEIR
ROLE
AND
LIMITATIONS
YOGENDRA
NARAIN
THE FUNCTIONING
of
democracy throughout the world is influenced by
pressure groups which might
be
either political, or representing social or
caste groups, or religious
in
nature. Occasionally pressure groups get created
because
of
a common or shared viewpoint cutting across different segments
of
society. They are different from nongovernmental organisations as the
latter work
in
the field in identified sectors as well as endeavour to change
policies in the sector they are working
in
as a corollary actively only. They
do not use pressure or force
in
the achievement
of
their objective.
Examples
of
pressure groups abound
in
history. The signing
of
the
Magna Carta and the Bill
of
Rights was a result
of
the incessant opposition
to the authoritarian nature
of
the British monarchy at that particular moment
of
history. The nobles and barons formed a formidable group which
pressurised King John
in
signing the agreement and agreeing to abide by
the wishes
of
the people.
In the 1780's when slave trade was at its peak, the teachings
of
the
Enlightenment brought a fresh wave
of
thinking. The campaign against
slavery gained momentum. A Society for the Abolition
of
the Slave Trade
was founded. Men from different denominations made common cause
against slavery in meetings. Eleven thousand people
in
Manchester
alone-
two-thirds
of
the male
population-signed
a petition calling for an end to
the slave trade. The government could not dare to ignore it. In 1807 the
slave trade was abolished. This was the birth
of
a new kind ofpolitics, the
politics
of
pressure groups.
The
formation
of
political parties is a phenomenon which brings
together people with similar political view and ideologies. They abound
both in democracies
as
well as dictatorships and other forms
of
government.
When not
in
power, they double as pressure groups to force governments to
consider the alternate view points. When governments act
in
an authoritarian
manner, the pressure groups organise protests and demonstrations to draw
the attention
of
the government and demand redressal
of
their grievances.
When governments are dictatorial
in
nature, they initially suppress such
To continue reading
Request your trial