Protests by the unemployed in France and Germany (1994-2004) proved that the mobilization of marginalized groups may well succeed, yet requires conducive conditions to happen. This paper assumes that the existing interorganizational structures of local unemployment groups and networks represent a necessary prerequisite, hut that they are not in a position to provide an adequate explanation of the intensity of protests and the differences in the two countries. We, therefore, refer to "third party" - above all trade union - support, which in its turn is strongly dependent on the country-specific structure of trade unionism. The comparative case analysis of the German and French protest episodes concludes that the competitive cooperation with left-wing trade union dissidents in France was far more conducive than the activities of the unemployed in Germany, which have long moved in the shadow of the national trade unions.

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• Sociologia - Ciências Sociais