Seminar 12

The 1968 revolutions

Readings
Cohen, M.A. (2016): American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of
Division, New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 15-34.

Suri, J. (2003): Power and protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Detente, London
and Cambridge (Ma.), Harvard University Press, p. 164-212.

Tasks:

Work in your groups to answer the following questions. The aggregate length of your
answers should be around two or three pages:

1) After reading Suri, point to the common factors behind the 1968 events. You
may refer to economic, social, cultural and racial problems.
2) How did political authorities react to the challenges posed by the 1968 events?
How successful were they?
3) Per Cohen, explain how 1968 reshaped American politics. Try to relate the 1968
events to long-term shifts in American society.

Important note: Suri’s chapter is long and descriptive. Focus on the most
important issues; compare and differentiate between the scenarios existing in
the different countries. Do not try to summarize all his findings.