Is a social movement a political movement?

First, please note that different texts may use the term
"political" differently and so our answers here may not be the same as what your book or
instructor would say.  I would suggest that you check your notes and/or your
book.

That said, social movements are definitely political
movements.  Politics may be defined as the process of transmitting the wants of the
people (including groups of people) to government.  We should also note that politics
involves trying to help influence the actions of governmental officials and the policies
that those officials enact.

Using this definition, a social
movement is clearly a political movement.  Social movements are transmitting the wants
of the kind of people who make them up.  They are trying to influence the government to
enact policies that will be beneficial to those people.

Of
course, social movements tend to be unorthodox and tend not to use established political
channels such as voting and lobbying.  Nonetheless, their goals make them political
movements.