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1968: Radical Protest and Its Enemies
A major new history of one of the seminal years in the postwar world, when rebellion and disaffection broke out on an extraordinary scale, 1968 saw an extraordinary range of protests across much of the western world. Some of these were genuinely revolutionary-around ten million French workers went on strike and the whole state teetered on the brink of collapse. Others were more easily contained, but had profound longer-term implications-terrorist groups, feminist collectives, gay rights activists could all trace important roots to 1968. 1968 is a striking and original attempt half a century later to show how these events, which in some ways still seem so current, stemmed from histories and societies which are in practice now extraordinarily remote from our own time. 1968 pursues the story into the 1970s to show both the ever more violent forms of radicalization that stemmed from 1968 and the brutal reaction that brought the era to an end.
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First published January 1, 2018
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About the author
Richard Vinen
15 books10 followersRichard Vinen is a Professor in Modern European History at King's College, London. Prior to joining the department in 1991, he was a Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge and also lectured at Queen Mary (Westfield) College.
Richard Vinen is the author of the widely praised "A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century". He writes regularly for The Independent, The Times Literary Supplement, the Boston Globe and the Nation.
Richard Vinen is the author of the widely praised "A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century". He writes regularly for The Independent, The Times Literary Supplement, the Boston Globe and the Nation.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 14, 2018
1968: Radical Protest and Its Enemies by Richard Vinen is a 2018 Harper publication.
I was just a little kid in 1968, but this era of time has always fascinated me. If I see a book about the sixties, I seem drawn to it like a magnet. But of all the years to focus on in that decade, Richard Vinen chose the explosive year of 1968.
Why? Well, it would seem 1968 was the year of violent protests, which the primary focus of this book. The author breaks down the various movements being represented and the political or social topics which led the protests. I didn’t realize so many iconic events took place during this year, and well, I’m also a little embarrassed to admit, I never gave much thought the radicalism in other countries like France, for example. So, examining this turbulent year at that angle is quite interesting.
Naturally, these protests didn’t just crop up overnight. There was a lengthy build up to the culmination of ideals and values which actually began several decades earlier. The two faces of America- still very much alive and well today is one major theme- but there were so many variables that contributed to this volatile climate- some which include the role television played, the baby boom, and Vietnam to name just a few.
But, while America was a melting pot of tense unease, other countries were experiencing their own revolutionary movements and episodes of violence. In France there were enormous student protests and worker’s strikes.
West Germany saw protests after the charismatic Rudi Dutschke was shot, and Great Britain saw a scaled down version of student radicalism, but had its fair share of protests, as well, including those with a more conservative point of view.
While I did find many historical details quite informative and interesting, the scope is very wide and as such the author lays out an outline, discusses some key points, then moves on to the next point. It was a little hard to follow his train of thought sometimes, and this, like a lot history, even if the topic is normally one of great interest, can be very dry reading.
While it may seem as though the 68er’s failed in their mission for the most part, I personally think they had a greater impact than they are given credit for. Concessions and compromises were made, and the ‘establishment’ seemed to win out in the end. But, some radical groups worked more quietly behind the scenes, their influence less measurable, but not necessarily as diluted as one may think.
Overall, the book felt more like a summary than an in-depth study or analysis and I struggled to stay interested in it for long periods. It took me a while to get through it and I confess I skimmed over some of the material at times, but, in the end, I thought the author made some valid points, connects revolutions and radical politics with other countries besides the United States, and exposed contradictions in the various movements and the issues university students protested, which did give me some food for thought, and prompted me to do some further reading and research.
I was just a little kid in 1968, but this era of time has always fascinated me. If I see a book about the sixties, I seem drawn to it like a magnet. But of all the years to focus on in that decade, Richard Vinen chose the explosive year of 1968.
Why? Well, it would seem 1968 was the year of violent protests, which the primary focus of this book. The author breaks down the various movements being represented and the political or social topics which led the protests. I didn’t realize so many iconic events took place during this year, and well, I’m also a little embarrassed to admit, I never gave much thought the radicalism in other countries like France, for example. So, examining this turbulent year at that angle is quite interesting.
Naturally, these protests didn’t just crop up overnight. There was a lengthy build up to the culmination of ideals and values which actually began several decades earlier. The two faces of America- still very much alive and well today is one major theme- but there were so many variables that contributed to this volatile climate- some which include the role television played, the baby boom, and Vietnam to name just a few.
But, while America was a melting pot of tense unease, other countries were experiencing their own revolutionary movements and episodes of violence. In France there were enormous student protests and worker’s strikes.
West Germany saw protests after the charismatic Rudi Dutschke was shot, and Great Britain saw a scaled down version of student radicalism, but had its fair share of protests, as well, including those with a more conservative point of view.
While I did find many historical details quite informative and interesting, the scope is very wide and as such the author lays out an outline, discusses some key points, then moves on to the next point. It was a little hard to follow his train of thought sometimes, and this, like a lot history, even if the topic is normally one of great interest, can be very dry reading.
While it may seem as though the 68er’s failed in their mission for the most part, I personally think they had a greater impact than they are given credit for. Concessions and compromises were made, and the ‘establishment’ seemed to win out in the end. But, some radical groups worked more quietly behind the scenes, their influence less measurable, but not necessarily as diluted as one may think.
Overall, the book felt more like a summary than an in-depth study or analysis and I struggled to stay interested in it for long periods. It took me a while to get through it and I confess I skimmed over some of the material at times, but, in the end, I thought the author made some valid points, connects revolutions and radical politics with other countries besides the United States, and exposed contradictions in the various movements and the issues university students protested, which did give me some food for thought, and prompted me to do some further reading and research.
June 5, 2021
Being part of the generation of ‘68, I opened this book in hopes that it would cast fresh light on the history of my times. The word “long” in its title held out that possibility. But I closed the book with those hopes pretty much dashed. For it pays scant attention to the activism, engagement and organisation-building inspired or begotten by that generation. At least not the kinds I’ve seen, studied and in some cases been part of since around 1967 – work for change in Latin America and Africa, for peace, environmental sanity, tax justice, promotion of civil and economic rights, anti-corporate research, alternative media, et cetera. Where these matters do get a mention, the tone is dismissive, if not cynical. The writer’s extensive and uncritical use of British government archives, where in-house memoranda of top bureaucrats are preserved, reinforces this impression. He prefers to highlight episodes of violent protest. Whereas non-violent activism, which since the sixties has mobilized many more people and helped set public agendas in scores of places, is barely mentioned and appears nowhere in the index. Where the writer might have provided balanced accounts of protest episodes and movements, he highlights the backlash against them. He is careful to chronicle who among high-profile personages of the protest generation ended up defecting to mainstream political or corporate life. He hardly bothers with the many others who pursued, for better and worse, positive pathways after 1968. In short, I sense that the writer couldn't muster much respect for, or even interest in the persons and politics at issue, and was unimpressed by any positive contributions they've made. With the exception of some bits about France, where more nuance and detail are on offer, this book was a big disappointment.
May 15, 2021
Отличная книга, которую надо прочитать всем, кто интересуется протестными динамиками.
February 6, 2024
Book covers the radical 1968 protests in the US, France, the UK, and West Germany (maybe Japan and Czechoslovakia are missing). The 1968 protests increased youth participation in politics but also energised and raised the appeal of their “enemies”: Nixon, Reagan, Thatcher, de Gaulle, Pompidou, etc
January 19, 2020
Really insightful analysis into the protests that rocked the Western democracies in the late 60s and early 70s. The causes, events, and long term consequences are all assessed, and all far more complicated and tangled than you’d imagine.
June 12, 2025
Who won the American War in Vietnam? The French labor movement and Ronald Reagan it seems.
Vinen tells a compelling history of the protests in this period including their origins, major events, and outcomes. Vinen brings a lot of causes into the stew of 68, notably frustration with nonviolent civil rights in the US, restructuring of universities in Europe, suburbanization, disillusionment with US foreign policy, and the post-war economic boom. I have my own idea about the relative weight of any of these given factors, but they are probably about right.
The history of the movements in Germany and England weren’t as interesting to me as the other chapters, mostly because the movements were much weaker. But he does a decent job telling the history of the US ‘68 and I found the history of the French 68 interesting having known very little about it.
As for the outcomes, lowered voting ages and legalized abortion seem to have been the most profound and longest lasting wins. Unfortunately, the neoliberal reaction destroyed a lot of the gains of the civil rights movement in the US and the international labor movement by dismantling democracy in favor of oligarchy and declaring open season on unions while loosening capital flight restrictions. This of course was in part enabled by fear of 68 among the middle class, although I think Vinen might be overstating how much this buoyed Reagan as late as 1980, even if it helped him and Nixon a lot at the time of the protests.
Vinen doesn’t explain why he thinks the movements failed to form a revolution. Probably because he isn’t a revolutionary socialist himself and so isn’t looking to improve on other movements’ shortcomings. At least in the US case, *Black Against Empire* provides a compelling case for why the Black Panthers failed to start a revolution. Namely, the black bourgeois benefited from the expansion of the franchise and professional opportunities and was incorporated into the political class of the US, they couldn’t hold together a revolutionary coalition, and repression was more severe than was recruitment. This analysis would obviously make *1968* more important of a read for socialists had it been included.
Overall, worth checking out certain chapters if you have a passing interest in anti-Vietnam protests or factory occupations.
Vinen tells a compelling history of the protests in this period including their origins, major events, and outcomes. Vinen brings a lot of causes into the stew of 68, notably frustration with nonviolent civil rights in the US, restructuring of universities in Europe, suburbanization, disillusionment with US foreign policy, and the post-war economic boom. I have my own idea about the relative weight of any of these given factors, but they are probably about right.
The history of the movements in Germany and England weren’t as interesting to me as the other chapters, mostly because the movements were much weaker. But he does a decent job telling the history of the US ‘68 and I found the history of the French 68 interesting having known very little about it.
As for the outcomes, lowered voting ages and legalized abortion seem to have been the most profound and longest lasting wins. Unfortunately, the neoliberal reaction destroyed a lot of the gains of the civil rights movement in the US and the international labor movement by dismantling democracy in favor of oligarchy and declaring open season on unions while loosening capital flight restrictions. This of course was in part enabled by fear of 68 among the middle class, although I think Vinen might be overstating how much this buoyed Reagan as late as 1980, even if it helped him and Nixon a lot at the time of the protests.
Vinen doesn’t explain why he thinks the movements failed to form a revolution. Probably because he isn’t a revolutionary socialist himself and so isn’t looking to improve on other movements’ shortcomings. At least in the US case, *Black Against Empire* provides a compelling case for why the Black Panthers failed to start a revolution. Namely, the black bourgeois benefited from the expansion of the franchise and professional opportunities and was incorporated into the political class of the US, they couldn’t hold together a revolutionary coalition, and repression was more severe than was recruitment. This analysis would obviously make *1968* more important of a read for socialists had it been included.
Overall, worth checking out certain chapters if you have a passing interest in anti-Vietnam protests or factory occupations.
February 6, 2023
My initial reaction upon actually starting this book (it having been on various TBR lists for awhile), was that I might be wasting my time. To me, the promise was in the subtitle, as I was wondering who in particular Vinen might be referring to in terms of "enemies." It turns out that said enemies were mostly just the authorities of the time, as they attempted to cope with the perceived emergency generated by the "street action" of students and labor unionists. Be that as it may, the chapters dealing with the United States, France, Britain and Germany are the real guts of this book, and they're quite good, in terms of providing an overview of what was motivating people to protest, and what they thought they were trying to accomplish. Perhaps the single most telling insight from Vinen is that it often seems that the various protestors had a stronger sense of what they were against, then what they were for, and I think that mentality has lasted to the current day. Less good are some of the thematic chapters, with the one dealing with the transition from protest, to actual violence of the "urban guerilla" variety being the single weakest. Still, I think this wound up being an effective survey, and if you read it in that spirit, I think one will get a lot out of it.
I'm being charitable and giving 4 stars, though 3.5 is more like it.
I'm being charitable and giving 4 stars, though 3.5 is more like it.
May 13, 2020
While this is a rather broad overview of the events of 1968 that altogether skips (no mention of the Prague Spring whatsoever) or minimizes (one mention of Situationists in the entire text, and that one mention not in the chapter on France) a lot of details I would have enjoyed the inclusion of, it is a great study. The longer view that Vinen takes, covering both events leading up to the tumultuous year as well as after effects that trail off into the present day, do a great job of fitting 1968 into a much larger, broader context. All in all, a good book, worth reading if this topic even remotely interests you.
October 29, 2023
More of a survey of 1968 than a history, although there were some good stories that were told in each of the topics. Mr. Vinen sums up 1968 as a year of change, some big and some small, depending on where and who you were. Not all change and revolution are consistent across countries, but 1968 is a pivotal year for that change. A good read that sheds some myths and tells a more complete, if brief, story of the year the world changed.
June 16, 2023
the author does not feel very sympathetic towards his subject matter and this shows. It is basically a centrist take on 1968, which strives to show that 1968 was no big deal. As one would expect, it fliles in the face of the evidence of people who lived through it all. Strangely enough, there is very little on theory. All in all, a waste of time
January 24, 2020
Really good read, for someone who knew little to nothing about radical politics in the 1960s. Less of a narrative structure, more of a sweep through factors and countries. A good start for someone looking to get into the topic!
February 17, 2022
Неплохо. Но, вообще, можно прочитать введение и заключение и все понять))) Ну а кому надо детали по отдельным странам или темам, можно и пару глав из середины просмотреть.
July 13, 2019
The book covers the significant and tumultuous protest events of 1968 from the perspective that these were a culmination of a groundswell of protest in the decade leading up to this year and with reverberations in the years that followed. As a detailed report of the protest movements as they manifested in the USA, UK, West Germany, France and Italy and morphed during the 1970s, the reporting is thorough and comprehensive although there was little mention of Canada and none of Australia. However, when it comes to analysis, the book was seriously lacking.
Some insight into the period can be found in Charles Reich’s 1970 book ʺThe Greening of Americaʺ in which he described Consciousness I, that of traditional businessmen and farmers trying to get ahead, Consciousness II thinking that established Roosevelt’s New Deal and trying to make the "great society" and Consciousness III, that of the student movement of the time which embraced youth culture and a disinclination to join the power structures. Indeed, neither this work nor Theodore Roszak’s 1969 ʺThe Making of a Counter Cultureʺ appeared in the extensive list of references. Perhaps greater insight to the period is provided by Christopher Caldwell’s essay “1968: A Revolting Generation Looks Back” in which he described the separation of the youth movement representing a lifestyle or Woodstock wing of the political left, which claimed grievances against and alienation from society by such groups as women, gays and students and which had split from the traditional or socialist left, drawing a parallel with the cartoon Road Runner whose sawn-off branch remains while the tree crumbles with the pre-eminence of the political left at the expense of the traditional left.
Nonetheless, for those of a certain age who were aware of what was happening at the time but too young to participate or even for those part of the protest movement, this is potentially an informative read.
Some insight into the period can be found in Charles Reich’s 1970 book ʺThe Greening of Americaʺ in which he described Consciousness I, that of traditional businessmen and farmers trying to get ahead, Consciousness II thinking that established Roosevelt’s New Deal and trying to make the "great society" and Consciousness III, that of the student movement of the time which embraced youth culture and a disinclination to join the power structures. Indeed, neither this work nor Theodore Roszak’s 1969 ʺThe Making of a Counter Cultureʺ appeared in the extensive list of references. Perhaps greater insight to the period is provided by Christopher Caldwell’s essay “1968: A Revolting Generation Looks Back” in which he described the separation of the youth movement representing a lifestyle or Woodstock wing of the political left, which claimed grievances against and alienation from society by such groups as women, gays and students and which had split from the traditional or socialist left, drawing a parallel with the cartoon Road Runner whose sawn-off branch remains while the tree crumbles with the pre-eminence of the political left at the expense of the traditional left.
Nonetheless, for those of a certain age who were aware of what was happening at the time but too young to participate or even for those part of the protest movement, this is potentially an informative read.
April 3, 2020
One of the first whole books I’ve read wholly dedicated to the subject and I really enjoyed it. Chapter 11, “Defeat and Accommodation” is particularly interesting as it analyses ways in which soixante-huitards have been said to have “sold out” on their ideas/aims of the period. On a more negative note, I was disappointed by the half-hearted attempt to draw Northern Ireland into the discussion by making surface-level comparisons with other nations. Also disappointing was realising the chapter on “sexual liberation” was actually the token “women” chapter - the implication being that the main aims/outcomes for women of the period were purely sexual. That said, there was an interesting overview of how sexism manifested in the protests of ‘68.
Overall I thought it was a really great book, and one which provided many opportunities for further reading and analysis. It also raised some questions for me, but the fact that I disliked some things about the methodology does not outweigh the positives!
Overall I thought it was a really great book, and one which provided many opportunities for further reading and analysis. It also raised some questions for me, but the fact that I disliked some things about the methodology does not outweigh the positives!
June 3, 2018
This book covers a lot of territory and time, not just 1968, but the far extended rippling from that year that is still surely going on. Whilst there is a lot of valuable and interesting material presented throughout the book I found the style of presentation frustrating and hard-going and I was frequently annoyed by the constant dropping of seemingly random anecdotes to make a point that often seemed to leave me thinking "so what?" Nonetheless it was worth reading.
July 25, 2020
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages, but having done so I feel quite underwhelmed. It’s detailed (in terms of facts) but still quite bitty, it didn’t flow as a narrative and even with nearly 350 pages of text, I felt most of the sections just didn’t elaborate enough. Never mind, The good thing about the 60s is that it’s a period which doesn’t suffer from a shortage of books.
July 16, 2018
I confess that I only picked it up and started to read it, but I was disappointed to see that out of over 300 pages, only 40 pages of it were devoted to the U.S. events in 1968 -- and the Vietnam Conflict and its protest here was covered in only FIVE pages!
August 6, 2022
A very dry, very prosaic account of the events surrounding student riots in the suburbs of Paris in 1968, as well as other similar movements around the world at the time. Lots of facts and figures but little of the excitement one might hope for considering the subject matter.
February 17, 2020
An overview of a year that almost saw a world wide revolution, it covers not only the year itself but the aftermath.
February 25, 2025
An account of the origins of the modern left.
May 7, 2019
Vinen attempts to explain how young people in the 1960’s changed the world. To do this monumental job, he mixes data with analysis, data, and assumptions to explain why how the 1960’s, especially the last five years of the decade, changed our country.
His major theme is to explain how public attitude about the war in Vietnam changed in the 1960’s. The turning point was, of course, 1968.
He covers a number of changes in American culture, beginning s with a chapter on how universities had gained a powerful influence. The chain of changes begins when soldiers went to college at the end of WW2.
A major theme is the power of the free speech campaigns that drew big audience, mostly on college campuses. Vinen gives special attention to the Free Speech Movement. He also devotes pages an analysis of the youth revolution in Europe. There’s a whole chapter to the role of sexual liberation.
I have little to challenge in the major goals of the book. Unfortunately, the page-by-page telling of a story often becomes tedious. A few chapters become lists of what happened and what other writers have provided.
Fortunately, the book provides two multiples sources for the reader (or doctoral student) who wants to learn more: 20 pages of publications and 30 pages of notes.
This is a good resource for historians of the 1960’s and for readers who remember the events explained in the book.
March 31, 2022
1968 is a year of long been fascinated with. Global protest, political and social change, and a counterattack from forces opposing emerging movements. This book was interesting at times, and I learned some new things, but overall this big was too broad to have any real depth. This isn't the last book on that year and it'll be far from the last.
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June 25, 2023I am reminded of what the great historian Martin Malia said in a seminar class I took with him in the 1980's when he was asked to describe Berkeley in the 60's, he replied in all seriousness, "mass psychosis."
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August 24, 2018909.826 V782 2018
December 14, 2018
Bit of a struggle to get through this one. Surprisingly tedious.
January 17, 2019
A bit too thorough. Its organization wasn't great. The chapters of interest were thoughtful.
August 25, 2020
Totally different from what I expected but still an interesting albeit very general, almost superficial read about 1968 events and their political aftermath.
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November 2, 2018909.826 V782a 2018
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews