1968: Change

Every call for change, almost necessarily, comes with a demand to keep things as they are. Those who seek to preserve the existing state of affairs are generally labelled conservative. But many are simply scared. In this respect 1968 was no different. Amid the calls for anti-colonialism, civil rights, sexual freedom and feminism some either feared that these changes would not produce the desired results or that they would struggle to find a place in this new order. A look at the developing world, black America, the state of young women or the white working class suggests that there was some substance to their fears. Were the changes produced by 1968 an unmitigated success or did some of them set us all back? Who did they bring along and who did they leave behind?

Gary Younge