Is another May 68 possible in France?
Towards another May 1968 in France? Just fifty years ago on March 22nd we saw the beginning of the events in France which terrified the ruling class, led to one of the biggest general strikes ever, along with a wave of factory occupations, and could only be calmed by important concessions from the bosses (minimum wage raised by 35% and new workplace organizing rights guaranteed for trade unions). For the first time for decades, the spectre of revolution in the West seemed real. Today in France, commemorations are everywhere. The fine arts academy in Paris is hosting an exhibition of Trotskyist and anarchist posters, the mainstream radio is running 1968 chat shows. Even the association of university lecturers in anglophone Studies is holding its conference under the title “Revolutions” and inviting Angela Davis as keynote speaker (though this hasn’t stopped some colleagues complaining that they might have difficulty getting to the conference because of “these bloody strikes”). There is ...