Thomas Etzemüller
1968 - A rift in history?
Social upheaval and the 1968 movements in West Germany and Sweden

270 pages, br., numerous illustrations, € 24.00
ISBN 978-3-89669-705-9 (Konstanz: UVK, 2005)

In German historiography, "1968" has so far mostly appeared like a rift in history. The 1950s and the restorative Adenauer era were followed by the liberation movement of 1968, which failed but paved the way for a more liberal society.

Today, however, it is becoming clear that the events of 1968 are inextricably linked to the history of the emergence of modern, post-war Western consumer societies. 1968 no longer appears as a political reaction to the alleged mustiness of the German fifties, but as an attempt to come to terms with the fundamental structural changes in Western post-war societies.

The need to interpret these upheavals gave rise to a decidedly political language that made the upheavals nameable, understandable and negotiable. The revolution of 1968 did not take place, but the language of social criticism remained and established itself socially in the citizens' initiatives and in the alternative culture of the 1970s.

Thomas Etzemüller also analyses this process for Sweden. By comparing the Scandinavian state with West Germany and the USA, similarities with Western developments, but also Swedish peculiarities, emerge clearly. In addition, by focussing on the different processes of perception, it becomes clear how much 1968 was actually an imagined, worldwide revolution.

et al.

ZfG, 2006

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Yearbook for research on the history of the labour movement, 2007

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