1968: the year of disobedience?

From 1968 onwards, the world began to learn how to coexist with “global events”, those whose political effects were not confined to the boundaries of a single nation but which directly interacted with the collective existence of billions of people across the globe. Prague, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Beijing and Washington: irrespective of political regime, the 1968 “protests” seemed to be challenging culture, institutions and social models in a widespread and generalised revolution. The historical hypothesis that offers an efficient interpretation of these events is closely linked to generational factors. In each case, the leading elements were young people: while in the post-war period, the young became producers, consumers and voters, from 1968 they turned into militants. The key unifier of the youth protest was disobedience, challenging the rules that belonged to the past. Youth and disobedience: the parallel themes that underpin the historical interpretation of the protest movement.