Posted: February 9th, 2023

What is collective action theory?

Discuss the following:
What is collective action theory?
Why are tipping models presented in Chapter 8?
When did Germany reunify?
Was there a protest in Eastern Europe during the Cold War?
Collective action theory is a sociological perspective that explains how individuals decide whether or not to participate in collective action, such as social movements or political protests. This theory suggests that individuals weigh the costs and benefits of participation, taking into account factors such as their personal resources, the level of social support for the action, and the perceived likelihood of success. Collective action theory helps to explain why some individuals are more likely to engage in political activism than others and how social movements are able to mobilize collective action.
Tipping models are presented in Chapter 8 as a way to understand how small changes in the behavior of individuals can lead to large-scale shifts in social norms and group behavior. These models are used to study a range of phenomena, including the spread of social movements, the adoption of new technologies, and the spread of infectious diseases.
Germany reunified on October 3, 1990, when the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany, was dissolved and absorbed into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or West Germany. The reunification process was facilitated by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberalization of the GDR, which had been a Soviet-controlled satellite state.
There were numerous protests in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, as people in countries behind the Iron Curtain sought greater political freedoms and challenged the Soviet-dominated political systems. Some notable examples of protests in Eastern Europe during the Cold War include the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia in 1968, and the Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s.