Opposition in Western Europe

This book, first published in 1987, analysed the state and changing nature of political opposition in Western Europe at the time. For each country covered, it discusses the concept of opposition and the approach adopted by opposition parties. It explores the institutional framework that was in place at the time, the electoral support for opposition, attitudes towards opposition and the criteria for the success of opposition parties. It shows how opposition had changed in nature as a result of both voter re-alignments and also because some interest groups have engaged directly in opposition activities, rather than working through opposition parties as was done previously, thereby increasing the scope of extra parliamentary opposition. Opposition is a fundamental element in democratic politics, and this book therefore throws considerable light on the whole range of political activity in the countries covered. This title will be of interest to students of politics.

Eva Kolinsky

List of Contributors; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part 1: Concepts of Opposition; 1. Is There Life After Dahl? 2. Parliamentary Oppositions in Europe 3. Party and Protest: The Two Faces of Opposition in Western Europe; Part 2: Opposition and Political Change; 4. Great Britain: From 'Opposition with a Capital "O" to Fragmented Opposition 5. France: Legitimacy Attained 6. The Federal Republic of Germany: The Re-emergent Opposition? 7. Opposition in Italy: From Polarised Pluralism to Centripetal Pluralism 8. Opposition in the Netherlands 9. Opposition in Contemporary Spain: Tradition against Modernity; Part 3: Opposition Outside Parliament; 10. Non-Parliamentary Opposition in Great Britain: The Case of the Trade Unions 11. The Wrong Right in France 12. The Transformation of Extra-Parliamentary Opposition in West Germany, and the Peace Movement 13. Non-Parliamentary Opposition in Italy: The New Social Movements; Select Bibliography; Index