This article examines the emergence and growth of various protest movements in France over the past decade and attempts to explain their success by locating them both within the country's current political economy and within that of advanced capitalist countries more generally. It suggests that however diverse the movements might be, there are certainly common themes, and, in particular, there is widespread opposition to neo-liberal economic policy and its social consequences. The article also discusses contemporary theories that address the question of the nature of today's global political economy and social structures, interpret the contemporary socio-economic and political era as being quite different from the postwar period, and that shed some light on the significance and potential of the protest movements. Finally, it explores the idea that activists in recent years have often implicitly or explicitly campaigned for deeper democracy, to the extent that they have argued for a far greater ongoing role for ordinary people in politics.
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