ABSTRACT
This chapter explores social movements related to class, race, and gender that aim explicitly at reducing inequality and improving the life chances of the groups in question. The purpose is not to provide an exhaustive history of the movements, but rather to demonstrate systematically how each of them grew out of conditions relating to the structure of social inequality at the time, and how that structure affected the ebb and flow, goals, and tactics of those movements. The chapter outlines the dynamics in movements focused on the working class, race, and gender. The cultural context also affects the life and structure of a social movement. Racist, sexist, and class values and their intersection deeply influenced the shape of and membership in each movement, creating internal divisions and pressures toward homogeneous organizations. The growth of the labor movement was affected by a combination of external and internal factors.
