National Content: Italy

The 1968 in Italy was probably the longest from a time stand point and the most significant one from a social and political stand point. It was the longest because, while the symbol event of 1968 (the rebellion in May, in France, with the crash in the Sorbonne University, the barricades in the Quartier Latin and the stop to all productive activities) was losing strength, the Italian season of the 1968 still lasts through the mid- seventies. It was also the most significant one because the massive protest from young people started in the USA in 1964 at the Berkley University lacked a well defined political project and the so-called Prague Spring and other rebellious movements in the communist Eastern Europe ended up confronting the Russian tanks in a short time. The Italian 1968 developed from a generalized sense of un-satisfaction, mainly coming from the young people and the workers class, which derived from the break-up of the dominant values progressively eroded by a model of “opulent society” which was unable to answer expectations different from solely raising the level of a material lifestyle. It is also important to remember that the other main element in the 1968, as well as in the following years, in Italy was the workers’ rebellion. The workers’ contract expectations culminated in 1969 with the so-called “warm autumn”. The 1968 in Italy presents itself in a political revolution on a macro-social level: the anthropological type that embodies it is the revolutionary person by profession – “my life for the Revolution”. This type of person realizes his project through a political fight which could also become violent. The traditional political parties have a hard time understanding the troubles of an entire society following traditional schemes. International events such as the invasion of Czechoslovakia are interpreted by the government as a collateral effect of the Cold War where one of the parts is controlled by a system that kills freedom and concentrates power. The Italian left forces, aligned with Moscow, experience a lot of embaressment due to the events which question the hard work started by the Italian Communist Party towards a modern world.