Podemos and Ciudadanos: Anti-Austerity Politics in Spain

As might be expected, the massive financial crisis that hit Spain in 2008-09 and that brought along painful austerity measures has unleashed a wave of “anti-austerity” political movements.  Key among them: Podemos (We can), on the left; and Ciudadanos (Citizens), on the right.  This paper aims to accomplish three goals with respect to the emergence of these new political movements.  After a broad overview of the politics of anti-austerity movements in Spain, the paper examines the impact of anti-austerity movements on the dominant parties: the Socialist PSOE and the Conservative Popular Party.  The concluding part the paper compares Spain’s anti-austerity parties to those of other European nations, most notably Greece, another Southern European democracy rocked by economic crisis and anti-austerity movements.