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NEWS & LETTERS, May 2002
Column: Youth by Brown Douglas
The enduring revolutionary legacy of Paris '68
WHEN POETRY RULED THE STREETS: THE FRENCH MAY EVENTS OF 1968, by Andrew Feenberg and Jim Freedman. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001. This May is the anniversary of
the 1968 revolutionary uprising of students and workers in France. The events
themselves strike a chord today with anyone interested in transforming society,
especially youth. The book, WHEN POETRY RULED THE STREETS: THE FRENCH MAY EVENTS
OF 1968, analyzes these events and captures some of the spirit surrounding the
uprising and eventual downfall in May 1968. The youth were the starting
point in the revolt of '68. Beginning at Nanterre University, the students made
radical demands such as doing away with exams, true democracy in education, and
a totally new relationship between professor and student. These were not merely
reformist measures (although some wanted them to be). As the authors put it,
this action was an "act of opposition and committed to revolution." Eventually, one university
shutting down became thousands of students from all over Paris in the streets,
condemning capitalist society while at the same time letting ideas flow
everywhere. This uprising is famous for its sayings, most anonymously written or
spoken, that exemplified this condemnation. "All power to the
imagination" and "Do not consume Marx, live him," were written on
the walls. The uprising reached a turning
point when it combined with the workers. The students sparked feelings in the
heart of French workers that the workers recognized by shutting down and
occupying factories all over France. Not only did this surprise and anger de
Gaulle and the prevailing government, but the Communist Party and existing union
bureaucracy, who had no faith in workers to make a new life by and for
themselves. The students told the workers
to "Take from our fragile hands the struggle against the regime" and
the workers answered with 10 million in the streets. Surely it must have been
exciting to be a part of this uprising that had so many active, revolutionary
elements. Throughout the book, the
authors create a lively and in-depth picture of the events of Paris 1968,
including a very large appendix with actual documents from the students,
workers, and their organizations. They bring out the uniqueness and spontaneity
of the situation while making it seem like it just happened yesterday. I didn't totally agree with
their view of what was important and explicitly revolutionary. There is a tone
that runs through the writing that implies a certain pride of having no goal or
definite aim. While they do praise the radical activities of students and
striking of the workers, they do it from a view that lacks the uniting of a
philosophy of liberation with the revolutionary action and thoughts coming from
the workers and students. Thus, at the end of the book,
what is said is that "the May Events set in motion a process of cultural
change that transformed the image of the Left, shifted the focus of opposition
from economic exploitation to social and cultural alienation, and prepared the
rejection of Stalinist authoritarianism in the new social movements." In "shifting the focus of
opposition from economic exploitation to social and cultural alienation,"
workers seem to disappear altogether! The conclusion for them is not projecting
what revolutionary transformation of society could be, but mainly that the image
of the Left was "transformed" in various ways. We can see today, with a
movement largely built on the rejection of authoritarianism and social and
cultural alienation, that all of this is not enough. It is certainly important
that the youth have brought these things out and made them part of the
resistance. But there is still the attitude of picking up theory "en
route," or maybe better said a resistance to theory altogether. With this
attitude it is impossible to create a revolutionary movement that will not only
tear down what is old but build a new society on new beginnings. WHEN POETRY RULED THE STREETS has been released at an important time. Its description of the revolutionary events of the past generation is indispensable when we, especially youth, are looking to make our own revolution now. What happens with the movement now remains to be seen, but we can take inspiration from the students of 1968, when "All is possible" was on so many people's lips fighting for true freedom. |
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