The Long History of a New Cause: The Mobilization of the Unemployed in France

Abstract

In the winter of 1997–1998, the unemployed were for long months in the “headlines” of social and political news for demanding loudly and clearly an increase in the minimum social payments and a Christmas bonus of 3,000 francs (about 450 euros). The mobilization on this occasion was sufficiently important—a hundred thousand at its height in January 1998 (Maurer 2000, 3)—to turn upside down usual analyses. Faced with the unexpected size of the movement, comments were in fact atfirst marked by astonishment if not incredulity. A recognized specialist in poverty and precariousness, Paugam (1998) this time evoked “an unprecedented movement” (73–6) thus well emphasizing its exceptional character. In the same vein, Bourdieu (1998) described the mobilization as a “social miracle” (102), the expression being moreover copiously picked up, to the point of getting a seal of approval (e.g., Maurer and Pierru 2001). Although they have the merit of emphasizing the specific difficulties encountered by the unemployed in acting collectively, these renderings are largely erroneous. They ignore in fact former episodes, which occurred in particular in the first part of the twentieth century, marked by large and repeated demonstrations by the unemployed. To understand why 1 and above all how the unemployed get mobilized, it is essential to go back to the interwar period, since it is at this time that actions by the unemployed on a meaningful scale see the light of day.