Prelude to Revolution

France in May 1968

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Description

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of desiccated clichés about 'the end of history' and 'the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists."Mike Davis

An essential firsthand account of the May 1968 upheaval in France.

Author Bios

Daniel Singer (September 26, 1926 – December 2, 2000) was a socialist writer and journalist. He was best known for his articles for the Nation in the United States and for the Economist in Britain, serving for decades as a European correspondent for each magazine. Gore Vidal described Singer as "one of the best, and certainly the sanest, interpreters of things European for American readers", with a "Balzacian eye for human detail."

More Info

Publication date: July 9, 2013

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Part One The meaning of May 1

Part Two The Hidden Powder Keg 37
University in Turmoil 41
Society in Flux 69
"A Class for Itself"? 91
The Dynamics of Youth, or Angry Young Men 106

Part Three The Explosion 113
The Student Uprising (May 3–May 13) 115
The Workers Take Over (May 14–May 27) 152
How Not to Seize Power (May 27– May 31) 186
From General Strike to General Election 206

PART FOUR The Fallout 221
No Peasants on Their Backs 223
Anarchy and Dual Power 232
The "New Proletarians"? 243
Cultural Revolution 260
The Would–Be Soviets 269
The Negative Hero 276

PART FIVE In Search of the Future 297
The End of Marginalism 299
Without a Model 322
The Unwithering State 349
Tests for a Strategy 365
The International Dimension 389
Age of Conflict or Age of Resolution? 404

Abbreviations 411

Index 415

Reviews

"If Marx had been living in Paris during May 1968, he might have written this book."New Republic

"An intimate and intricate account of the events in Paris by one who knew almost every cobblestone in the Latin Quarter."
Michael Foot

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of dessicated cliches about the end of history' and the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists." -- Mike Davis

"Daniel Singer is the premier progressive interpreter of European affairs. His courageous vision and sophisticated analysis gives us hope even in this ice age of fashionable neoliberalism and conservatism." -- Cornel West

"I can think of no journalist more versed, more hip to what is happening in Europe today than Daniel Singer. -- Studs Terkel
"If Marx had been living in Paris during May 1968, he might have written this book."—New Republic

"An intimate and intricate account of the events in Paris by one who knew almost every cobblestone in the Latin Quarter."
—Michael Foot

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of dessicated cliches about the end of history' and the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists." -- Mike Davis

"Daniel Singer is the premier progressive interpreter of European affairs. His courageous vision and sophisticated analysis gives us hope even in this ice age of fashionable neoliberalism and conservatism." -- Cornel West

"I can think of no journalist more versed, more hip to what is happening in Europe today than Daniel Singer. -- Studs Terkel

"If Marx had been living in Paris during May 1968, he might have written this book."New Republic

"An intimate and intricate account of the events in Paris by one who knew almost every cobblestone in the Latin Quarter."
Michael Foot

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of dessicated cliches about the end of history' and the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists." -- Mike Davis

"Daniel Singer is the premier progressive interpreter of European affairs. His courageous vision and sophisticated analysis gives us hope even in this ice age of fashionable neoliberalism and conservatism." -- Cornel West

"I can think of no journalist more versed, more hip to what is happening in Europe today than Daniel Singer. -- Studs Terkel

"If Marx had been living in Paris during May 1968, he might have written this book."—New Republic

"An intimate and intricate account of the events in Paris by one who knew almost every cobblestone in the Latin Quarter."
—Michael Foot

"Daniel Singer is the left's most brilliant arsonist. He sets ablaze whole forests of dessicated cliches about the end of history' and the triumph of the market' in order to light the way forward for the next generation of radical thinkers and activists." -- Mike Davis

"Daniel Singer is the premier progressive interpreter of European affairs. His courageous vision and sophisticated analysis gives us hope even in this ice age of fashionable neoliberalism and conservatism." -- Cornel West

"I can think of no journalist more versed, more hip to what is happening in Europe today than Daniel Singer. -- Studs Terkel