Examines why citizens resort to risky and demanding disruptive protest when other channels of political intervention appear to be available. The book analyzes the relationship between protest movements and the formal political system.

Part 1 The origins of social protest: between movement and party in 19th- century French republicanism; left-right ideology and collective political action in Western germany, Israel and Peru; the new class, political identities and the social bases of political protest in eight western democracies. Part 2 The structure of political opportunities: the political opportunity structure of new social movements;opposition movements and opposition parties; left-lebertarian movements in Italy and Western Germany. Part 3 The structure of the state and movement development: the politcs pf protest and the dismantling of state socialism in Poland and Hungary; neo-corporatism and political protest in OECD countries; strategies of partisan influence - west European environmnetal groups; the success of political movements - a bargaining persective.