France 1968: reading guide

Libcom.org's reading guide on the events in May 1968 which saw students occupying the universities, intense fighting in the streets and a general wildcat strike of ten million workers across France.

Key texts

• Paris: May 1968 - Maurice Brinton's diary - A vivid and exciting eyewitness report by a member of Solidarity on the events in Paris in May 1968.
• Worker-Student Action Committees, France May '68 - Roger Gregoire and Fredy Perlman - In-depth look at the worker-student action committees formed during France May '68
• May-June 1968: A Situation Lacking in Workers' Autonomy - Mouvement Communiste - Detailed history and critical analysis of the May-June 1968 movement in France.
• Obsolete Communism: A Left-Wing Alternative - Daniel and Gabriel Cohn-Bendit - Excellent book on France 1968 by two participants, giving an account of the revolt as well as how it was co-opted with the help of the unions and French Communist Party.

Recommended reading

• 1968 : a chronology of events in France and internationally - Short chronology of the events which swept France in May and June 1968.
• General Strike: France 1968 - A factory by factory account - Analysis of the development, organisation and end of the mass strike in France 1968, with reference to case studies of particular factories.
• Enragés and Situationists in the Occupations Movement - An account written in the immediate aftermath of May 1968 of the Situationists' contribution to the Movement of Occupations that took place throughout the country.
• Parisian Metallurgists in May 1968 - Michael Seidman - Academic article showing how workers acted differently from the way they are usually portrayed in leftist and anarchist accounts of May 1968.
• May 1968 Documents - Situationist International - Documents produced by the Situationist International or groups the Situationists were involved with during the mass strike and revolt of May 1968.
• Football to the footballers! - Statement released by the Footballers' Action Committee after they had occupied the headquarters of the French Football Federation.

Other media

• France 1968 photo gallery - Photographs of the uprising and general strike in May 1968 in France.
• Paris 68 posters - Gallery of posters created during the France 1968 uprising.

LibCom.org

Länk: https://libcom.org/library/france-1968-reading-guide