Richard Barbrook Analyzes May 1968's Legacy in ArtReview

Richard Barbrook, a senior lecturer at the University of Westminster, examines the 1968 French protests in the May 2018 issue of ArtReview. The events began at Nanterre University when militants challenged authorities, sparking wider student unrest that escalated into clashes with police in Paris's Latin Quarter. Trade unions, including Stalinist and Social Democratic factions, called a general strike, drawing millions of workers into demonstrations across major cities. Universities, factories, and public institutions were occupied, pushing the conservative government to the brink. President Charles de Gaulle fled to a French army base in Germany. Barbrook argues that the movement, while ambitious in experimenting with self-management and challenging capitalist alienation, ultimately settled for reforms like pay rises and welfare increases. He notes that the 1968 uprising has been reinterpreted over time, with its cultural aspects emphasized over class struggle, influencing later legal changes such as the legalization of divorce and abortion. In 2018, French workers and students organized protests against President Emmanuel Macron's policies, consciously evoking the 1968 struggles but focusing on demands like higher living standards. Barbrook concludes that under neoliberal globalization, systemic reform may now precede more radical change.