Sociologische theorie en de Franse mei-gebeurtenissen

Samenvatting

The events of May 1968 in France, which included student riots and general unrest among the workers who called a general strike, were not predicted by sociologists. Some of the major conditions of social unrest are frustration and deprivation. Frustration may result from stagnation in the process of weakening the power of dominant groups and curbing terror, or conversely, frustration may be caused by stagnation in the process of strengthening the power of the status quo. It is not always easy to determine when social unrest will result in revolution. Even Lenin in 1917 could not determine if the events in Petersburg would lead to a revolution. Certain factors which are necessary conditions for revolution include some type of planning for the future, and a developed leadership structure. The general conditions which lead to unrest, including revolutions, are not always known, and are often poorly defined. While recession may lead to social unrest, how great must the recession be before this happens? Among the workers in France, working conditions were not just stagnant, but had deteriorated over the past years. In addition, employment prospects for humanities students were decreasing. Government institutions were not able to absorb the social changes and were structurally rigid. The violent measures taken by the government to stop the demonstrations lead to more unrest with more students participating. Manual laborers, less coopted into bourgeois society than in countries like Germany and England, were ready to join the protest. There was no revolution because the necessary conditions (leaders, plans, and the conviction that the battle could be won) were not present. P. Tiersma