Greening Democracy

Stephen Milder is an Assistant Professor of Politics and Society in the Department of European Languages and Cultures, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands.

• Introduction: taking the democratic dimensions of antinuclear activism; 1. 'Today the fish, tomorrow us:' the threatened Upper Rhine and the grassroots origins of West European environmentalism; 2. A different watch on the Rhine: how antinuclear activists imagined the Alemannic community and united a region in resistance; 3. Onto the site and into significance? The Wyhl Occupation in its contexts, from Strasbourg to Kaiseraugst and Constance to Kiel; 4. 'Wyhl and then what …?' Between grassroots activism and mass protest; 5. Political questions, grassroots answers: shaping an environmental approach to electoral politics; 6. Organizing a 'decisive battle against nuclear power plants': Europe and the nationalization of Green politics in West Germany; Conclusion: protesting nuclear energy, Greening democracy.

'This is what democracy looks like! Milder magnificently brings together politics from all quarters, offering fresh and compelling insights into democratic practice and how change happens. A must-read for scholars of contemporary Germany and Europe - and for students of social change.' Belinda Davis, Rutgers University, New Jersey