Anti Austerity Movement Analysis

Anti-Austerity social movements have been gaining momentum across Europe countries for a number of years. These Anti Austerity movements don’t necessarily have a left wing political ideology and they can range both from left and right ideologies (Conolly, 2012). The popularity of these movements can be contributed to a number of influential factors. The main factor is the implementation of austerity economics across EU countries in response to the economic crisis that exists in many EU countries (Conolly, 2012). Other factors include opposition to the political elite and disillusionment (Conolly, 2012). Many Anti Austerity Movements have been successful in certain countries. For example in 2012, in the Netherlands the Anti-Austerity, Anti-Immigration

The two Anti-Austerity movements that will be discussed are the 15M movement in Spain and the Syriza movement in Greece. In response to Spain’s economy in 2011 ‘grinding to a halt, budgets and salaries were cut, unemployment (according to OECD data) reached 22%, and youth unemployment rose to over 47%’ (Byrne 2011, p.209) and the Democracia Real Ya group organised a demonstration against the staling economy. This demonstration took place on the 15th of May 2011 and as a result it was then named the 15M movement which protested against the political class, the economic situation, and the workings of a democracy that was no longer so young or successful (Byrne 2011, p.209). To fully understand the success of the 15M movement youth participation in Social Movements will be examined in this essay. The Syriza in Greece unlike the 15M movement has successfully formed a government in Greece to fight the austerity measures that the EU, ECB and IMF want implemented (Mac Con Uladh, 2015). This essay will examine both movement’s significant successes and failures since the individual movement’s formation. This essay will firstly compare and contrast the success and failures of the 15M Movement to the Syriza movement in