All Power to the Imagination

All power to the imagination.

Fifty years ago this May, over 10 million French workers joined protesting students in the largest general strike that ever stopped the economy of an advanced industrial country, and the first wildcat general strike in history. Striking workers occupied 122 factories all across France, crippling the economy and nearly toppling the government. Some have argued that the rebellion in May 1968 was the single most important revolutionary event of the 20th century — it wasn't participated in by a lone demographic, such as workers or students, rather it was a popular uprising that superseded ethnic, cultural, age and class boundaries.

“The occupations movement was obviously a rejection of alienated labor; it was a festival, a game, a real presence of people and of time. And it was a rejection of all authority, all specialization, all hierarchical dispossession; a rejection of the state and thus of the parties and unions — the workers were leading, in their occupations and actions.”

Union leadership, in a situation similar to what transpired recently in West Virginia, initially followed along “as it saw this as the only method to maintaining some influence over the workers.” Later, trying to contain this spontaneous outbreak of militancy by channeling it into a struggle for higher wages and other economic demands. Workers put forward a broader, more political and more radical agenda, demanding the ousting of the government and President de Gaulle, and attempting, in some cases, to run their factories themselves with workers councils.

No single ideological viewpoint was central and it is important to note that the rebellion was not associated with any one political ideology or brought about by a political party. In fact, the PCF (French Communist Party) condemned the rebels as “false revolutionaries to be unmasked” and later, along with the labor unions, actively worked to suppress the uprising.

“Posters of Marx, Lenin, and Mao decorated the old pillars surrounding the front square. Red & Black flags hung alongside the Vietcong flag. Trotsky, Castro and Che Guevara pictures were plastered on walls alongside slogans such as Everything is Possible and This concerns everyone.”

This picture of the Sorbonne gives a good indication of the multiplicity of ideologies encompassed within the student movement. Another report describes a mixture of “Maoists, trotskyists, anarchists, situationists” and others in streets of Paris. There was a clear lack of demands or coherent goals to the rebellion. Instead, they opted to use occupied university halls and theatres as spaces for open ended discussions and experimentation.

Let’s not change bosses, let’s change life.

Power to the workers councils.

Never work.

Film

Confrontation: Paris, 1968 is a film capturing the atmosphere prevailing among the students and workers during the events of May ‘68. We will follow the screening with a discussion on the importance of these events and what lessons can be taken and put into practice by rebels acting 50 years later, in 2018.

Photography, M. Bouillé, J.-P. Prevost ; narrator, Baker Salsbury. 41 min., sound, black and white ; 16 mm. Film by Seymour Drescher, Eugene McCreary.

Readings

• Paris 1968: 30 years ago: When France rebelled by Dermot Sreenan
• The Beginning of the End: France, May 1968 by Angelo Quattrocchi (Not Bored)
• The Beginning of an Era (Bureau of Public Secrets)

There is no one absolute truth regarding the events of May 1968 in France and many volumes have been written on the subject. Find something that suits you and take it on!

Discussion Questions

1. What were the demands of the students and striking workers? Did the lack of a coherent or central political ideology strengthen or weaken the rebellion?
2. What role did the French Communist Party and other political parties play during May ‘68?
3. In what ways do unions (and also political parties) prevent, co-opt, and neutralize the authentic struggles of rank and file workers? What is a wildcat strike? What comparisons can be drawn between what happened in 1968 France and the 2018 West Virginia teachers strike.
4. What similarities are there between the conditions of workers on large tech campuses and university students? What lessons might tech workers learn from May 1968, and other student movements of the past?
5. After viewing this list of graffiti from May ‘68, choose a few that inspire you personally. Discuss their meaning and why you find them interesting.
6. Who were the Situationist International and what role did they play in May ‘68?

Additional Resources

• May 1968 Graffiti (Bureau of Public Secrets)
• Marking the French Social Revolution of '68 (NPR)
• The Boy Scout's Guide to the Situationist International: The Effect The S.I. Had On Paris '68 And All That, Through The Angry Brigade And King Mob To The Sex Pistols (Nothingness)
• When Poetry Ruled the Streets: The French May Events of 1968