New Social Movements in Western Europe: A Comparative Analysis (Volume 5) (Social Movements, Protest and Contention)

First published in 1996. This study is the product of a collaborative effort that has lasted for more than seven years. This is a project on the comparative analysis of new social movements in Western Europe. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 National Cleavage Structures......Page 30 Institutional Structures and Prevailing Strategies......Page 53 Alliance Structures......Page 80 Social Movement Types and Policy Domains......Page 109 The Dynamics of Protest Waves......Page 138 The Political Construction of the Nuclear Energy Issue......Page 172 Gay Subcultures between Movement and Market......Page 192 The Cross-National Diffusion of Protest......Page 208 Outcomes of New Social Movements......Page 234 Conclusion......Page 265 Appendix: The Newspaper Data......Page 280 Notes......Page 302 References......Page 314 Index......Page 330 New social movements are defined as those that have arisen since the late sixties, and include the ecology, gay rights, peace, and women's movements. This volume provides a cross-national comparison of the development, mobilization, and impact of new social movements in four Western European nations: France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In order to get a clearer idea of the possible relationships between the traditional political cleavages and the new ones articulated by the new social movements, let us briefly discuss the concept of the "mobilization potential" of a political cleavage. This text combines theories of resource mobilization with an analysis of the structures of political opportunity. It provides a summary of the orientations of particular movements and of the significance of differing political regimes across Europe.