Amongst the predictable spate of publications about last spring's crisis in France, two new books: FRENCH REVOLUTION, 1968 by Maureen Conville and Patrick Seale (OBSERVER correspondents); and REVOLT IN FRANCE, a contemporary record of compilation from the American MILITANT and INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS are happily characterised by their [illegible].
Neither book is deeply analytical; however both point out the general lessons of May-June: primarily the counter-revolutionary role of the French Communist Party, and the background to the student revolutionary movement, which eventually lead to the largest strike in one country throughout all history and the greatest revolutionary movement [illegible].
The Penguin is of special interest because of its research into the "Groupuscules", which were to play such a vital organising role during the crisis. The role of the Jeunesse Communiste Revolutionnaire (JCR), the youth organisation associated with the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI), which supports the United Secretariat of the Fourth International is given special prominence. The JCR is described, as "....the most formidable pressure group on the extreme left."
The history of the revolution is traced back to the development of the Comite Vietnam National (CVN), which has been enormously successful in radicalising and mobilising huge numbers of youth. The development of the idea of Student Power, around specific issues of student demands is examined at length.
REVOLT IN FRANCE has an excellent interview with Alain Krivine, a leader of the JCR. It has a wealth of day-to-day documentary material which gives one a real feel of events.
No-one who is interested in studying these events in France can afford to miss these two books.
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* FRENCH REVOLUTION, 1968, Penguin 6/-.