Neither decline nor sclerosis: The organisational structure of the German environmental movement

The conventional view of the life‐course of social movements is that they institutionalise, develop hierarchical structures and, as a consequence, de‐radicalise. This article assesses this image by examining the recent history of the German environmental movement, using two surveys of national and Berlin‐based environmental groups. The analysis suggests that there are no indications of a decline or sclerosis in the movement. Contrary to what some observers have claimed, we find at least a stable number of groups, an increase in the size of their membership and other resources, as well as the maintenance of a decentralised movement structure. Moreover, empirical evidence does not lend support to the idea that the movement, at the aggregate level, has been pacified in terms of its protest.