The concept of social movements, in most of the social sciences, does not describe a part of "reality" but rather an element of a particular pattern of constructing social reality. Before we define whether a social movement is successful, we should first understand the typical
patterns of social movements. Most social movements arise out of two kinds of social conflict:
the competing pursuit of collective interests and the reconstruction of social, cultural, or
political identities. Since social movements involve complex motives, groups, and
consequences, we will find that judging whether a social movement is successful or not from
a single perspective is unrealistic; for example, looking at the movement from the perspective
of the insurgents and the revolters will carry the subjectivity of their positions. However, by
studying and comparing two similar social movements with different results, we can more
objectively see what characteristics a movement should have for its success. This essay will
compare Martin Luther's Reformation with the earlier Bohemian Reformation initiated by Jan
Hus, one of the first Church reformers in the 14th century. The two movements show that
media communication, political support, and unified ideology are the critical features of
successful social movements.

            Europe in the 16th century had just experienced the Great Schism. The three popes of
France, Italy, and Germany despised each other, and each pope naturally excommunicated
and rejected the other two, calling them false popes. According to The Catholic Layman, a
19th-century magazine dedicated to Catholicism: "It caused great dissatisfaction among the
people of Rome, which had removed their residence from that city to Avignon, in France."
Europe during this period was typical of social unrest. Due to the unrest, the dissident
Catholic priest Jan Hus chose to attend the 1415 Council of Constance to against PopeSupremacy. In the Czech Kingdom, he strongly advocated religious reform, the embryonic
form of social movements. But a movement with substantial reform of the social status quo
did not emerge. One hundred years after the execution of Jan Hus by the Church, Martin
Luther forwent Hus' idea of trying to prevent the Church's split and reform the Church's
corruption. In 1517, he published the Ninety-five Theses, and successfully triggered the
Reformation and the start of Protestantism.

           There was nearly a hundred-year gap between the reform movements of Jan Hus and Martin Luther. The advantage that a hundred years brought Martin Luther was the birth of the
printing press, which progressed the dissemination of information. Movements need news
media for three main purposes: mobilization, validation, and outreach. Concerning mobilization, most movements must reach their constituents in part through some form of public discourse. Only a movement that takes the lead in promoting its thoughts among the people can win the most support. When Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in 1517, he copied and printed them throughout Germany. Compared with Jan Hus, who directly protested the Church, Luther realized that it was only possible to change the status quo of society by enlightening the vast majority of people and allowing them to protest independently. So he enlisted the assistance of typographical scholars, including priests and university scholars. Between 1521 and 1525, the circulation of books on the Reformation accounted for 46% of the total German circulation, while the books of the Catholic Church only accounted for 16.9% in the same period. Higher circulation also represents higher dissemination. Between 1517 and 1520, Luther's Thirteen Treats sold over 300,000 copies. Luther's books, including the Ninety-Five Theses, are written in German, compared to the religious literature generally written in Latin and Greek. A common official language lowers the threshold for people to understand Luther's ideas. At the same time, Luther added many images and short phrase explanations in the book so that
illiterate people could understand it. His effort helped the anti-clerical/anti-authoritarian thoughts appeal to the population. At the same time, Luther gave people the power to decide whether the movement was justified and allowed the people to choose to participate in the movement or not. So when the Catholic Church realized the possibility of the birth of the Reformation, they could not stop it due to its popularity.

           Geographical and political factors had no weaker influence on the Reformation than the
printing press, and the help of local regimes was also one of the reasons why social
movements were successful. Aristocratic duchies in power provided three advantages to the
Reformation: 1. Encourage the territory believe in Lutheranism. 2. Form political alliances to
counter Catholic domination. 3. Wider trade networks in major urban areas enabled new
ideas to spread across the country and into Europe. After Luther initiated the Reformation,
several countries chose to support Lutheranism, including the region of Brandenburg-
Ansbach in 1528, the region of Württemberg in 1534, the region of Albertin-Saxony in 1540,
and the Elector Palatinate in 1546. For them, this was more like a political alliance, choosing
to form a unified religious system to resist the rule of the German prince Charles V. For the
dukes, Luther's Protestant ideas had political value, which they could use to gain more
centralized power. When the people and the rulers have the same religious belief, this belief
can be transformed into a personality cult for the duke. For the majority, supporting social
movements means fighting against the totalitarian government, and they are considered
rebels. But when their local authorities choose to support the movement, their actions have
been officially recognized. The characterization of the entire social movement has also
changed from rebellion to political reform. Compared with Luther, Hus was directly
imprisoned and executed by the Church after the Council of Constance. The dukes of other regions were unable to use Hus' influence and ideas to unite their people. At the same time,
the social riots initially caused by religious divisions were eliminated because of the unity of
faith. In addition, the German economy also began to recover. The assets used initially by
residents to purchase indulgences from the Catholic Church were instead contributed to
regional trade and military resources for the army. The improvement of the overall strength
of the territory is also convenient for countering the Church. Luther's campaign transformed
what had been a zero-sum game in political decision-making in the past into a policy of
reciprocity. Social movement development requires constant guidance from leaders, and the
public needs formal ideological support; this can only be achieved through cooperation
between movement leaders and local authorities.

            Last but not least is the long-term transmission of social movement ideas. Social
movements aimed at reform are a slow and steady process. In contrast to revolutionary
movements, social movements need to provide a clear plan while preserving the underlying
values. From the perspective of movement participants, this kind of proposal is attractive
since it does not conflict with the universal values they are used to but can change real
problems and benefit them. In the beginning, Hus' concept was to criticize the inaction of the
Catholic Church directly and hope that Church itself would reform its mistakes. So when Hus
failed, Luther summed up his mistakes and worked on ideology and immediate solutions.
European society in the 16th century was facing a severe economic crisis. In order to raise
enough funds to complete the construction of St. Paul's Cathedral, the Church chose to sell
indulgences to civilians. The Catholic Church also announced that purchasing indulgences is
the only way for commoners to complete their salvation. Luther changed the status quo by
breaking the solidified social dilemma through new belief models and ideologies. In 1521,
after Luther translated the New Testament from Greek to German, people could directly achieve salvation through the Scripture. Luther expressed a new way of believing that human beings are  powerless in the eyes of “Almighty God and can never do enough good
deeds to obtain salvation, only true faith.” Soon after Luther's teachings were preached, the
number of people buying indulgences dropped by nearly half. On the other hand, social
stability improved, as most people used the saved money to buy clothes and food, and
Germany's socio-economic recovery began. Although Luther's teachings were bold, they were still centered on Catholic fundamentals, so they were easier to accept and promote. For
the general public, Luther's reforms solved the actual problem of food and clothing, so they
were naturally more willing to follow Luther than the Church's salvation. Such a belief model
does not force people to follow but uses actual benefits to let people conform willingly. Like
the dissemination of information brought by printing technology, Luther's reform regulations
centered on the majority. When an idea becomes mainstream, people lose a certain degree of
self-reflection and choose to follow the mainstream. This mainstream ideological concept
will remain with the change of leaders. That is why successful reforms continue even when
the original leaders are no longer present.

            Social movements often start with people dissatisfied with the existing social status quo
trying change it spontaneously. Leaders who launch the movement must have the courage
and outstanding leadership to resist the existing power and fulfill its long-term aim. They
must realize that the essence of social movements is people's acceptance of new ideas and
ideological innovation, not the domination of their ideas. Power doesn't fall because you
oppose it, but it does if you pull the most possible support to your side. Moreover, movement
ideas can only be recognized and disseminated through technology to the general public and
the assistance of political forces. When an initiator with a clear and well-grounded vision wins the support of politicians and the general public with media and technology, the
movement's success seems inevitable.

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