The Political-Opportunity Structure of the Spanish Anti-War Movement (2002–2004) and its Impact

This paper contributes to the study of social movements and their impact by approaching the topic through a discussion of the framework of political-opportunity structure. While there is a lack of research on the impact of movements, and few theories have yet been developed, there is a healthy debate on the elements that configure a movement's political-opportunity structure. This paper aims to contribute to these debates by first analysing the political opportunities of the anti-war movement in Spain (2002–2004) and, second, noting its impact in terms of the subsequent withdrawal of troops from Iraq after the elections in March 2004. After reviewing the literature on impact in social movement theory, the analysis then presents the elements of a movement's political-opportunity structure, explaining which elements should be considered variable and which stable. The paper closes by exploring which of these elements explains most powerfully the policy impact of movements.