counter-movement

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counter-movement An organized response to a social movement, with the purpose of blocking the movement's activities, resisting change, and presenting alternative points of view. Counter-movements may be spontaneous expressions of public feeling, or fronts for interest groups. Feminism, for example, has given rise to several counter-movements in the United States, including Pro-Life (antiabortion), and the successful anti-ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) movement. Other examples of counter-movements include those against fascism and racism in Britain, and conservative movements against the dismantling of communism in the former USSR.