How does political change happen? Social movements are collective attempts to secure a common goal. They may be global and tend to rely heavily on information technology. Social movements vary by type...

How does political change happen? Social movements are collective attempts to secure a common goal. They may be global and tend to rely heavily on information technology. Social movements vary by type of issue, by level of organization, and by their persistence over time. Political change also occurs through revolution, where a political system is overthrown and replaced. When successful, a revolution leads to a new political system. When they are unsuccessful, revolutionaries are called terrorists. Marx believed revolution stemmed from class conflict. The functionalists believed it was irrational. Other sociologists see it as just another type of social movement. War develops from perceived threats, political objectives, to divert attention, to achieve moral objectives, or because there is no other choice.