This paper offers a critical look at the theory of "new" social movements through an examination of a Liverpool (England) protest movement that occurred between 1980 and 1983. A history of the protest movement, which concerned the closing of a secondary school in a working-class community, is given. A review of the literature on new social movements is undertaken, with a focus on the contending theories that seek to describe these movements. New social movements are defined as social movements emerging since the 1960s that fundamentally differ from previous social movements. Finally, in the context of the literature review, the events of the Liverpool protest movement are re-examined and many of the assumptions of new social movement theorists are questioned. A 59-item bibliography is included. (DB)