Consequences of Countermovement Collapse: German-American Anti-Prohibition Activism Against U.S. Alcohol Prohibition, 1904-1919.

The Anti-Saloon League (ASL) successfully lobbied for Prohibition's passage and is frequently cited as the first modern social movement. The German-American Alliance (GAA) was the only organized, nationwide movement to oppose the ASL, making it the first modern countermovement. Most research on movement/countermovement interaction examines the effect each movement has on the other, and the way movement interactions effect relationships with state actors. Little research is available on the effect of a countermovement on the success or failure of its related movement. Even less research has been done of the effect of countermovement failure on the related movement's outcome. As a historical case, Prohibition provides the unique opportunity to examine not only the effect the GAA had on the ASL, but also the effect the GAA's failure had on the ASL's goals. In the case of Prohibition, the GAA ultimately failed due to anti-German sentiments stirred by World War I. After the GAA's collapse, the ASL won passage of the 18th Amendment. What effect did the failure of the GAA have on the ASL? Instead of limiting the ASL as suggested by previous work on countermovements, the GAA facilitated the ASL's drive for prohibition. The defeat of the GAA created a political opportunity for the ASL to push for prohibition unopposed. This is a peculiarly negative political opportunity, resulting from countermovement failure, but it had the same effect on the ASL as a change in government policy or personnel might have had. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]