In the 9th chapter of his book The Struggle for Europe, William Hitchcock explores the emergence of civil protests and clashes from 1968 onwards. He describes the alliance of left-wing students with workers as “convenient” rather than based on ideological affinity. Describing the sequence of historical processes, the author points out that the students became an icebreaker for the workers and showed them the weakness of the state. However, time has demonstrated that a complex and sophisticated leftist ideology could not long coexist with the support of the working class.
Hitchcock begins by explaining the reasons why the students drifted towards the leftist ideology and gradually became radicalized. It happened due to the sudden influx of vast masses of young people into universities, even though they “had not changed much since the nineteenth century” (Hitchcock, 2003, p. 247). Students despised what their parents believed in (materialism, family, Catholicism, anti-communism) and suggested: “collectivism, loyalty to peers across class lines, personal fulfillment through participation in group movement” (Hitchcock, 2003, p. 253). The preceding wars, coupled with the sudden exposition of complex philosophies and ideologies, led to a complete rejection of the traditional values of the previous generation.
The combination of protest against parental values with the unpleasant conditions of university campuses gave rise to active protest, which at first concentrated on demands to reform the university but became more politicized. The closure of universities to the protest movements pushed students into the city. The following student arrests and police brutality escalated the conflict, which led to radicalization, although the government wanted to prevent the escalation and left students in prisons quickly. Consequentially, from this point, the working class sensed the government’s weakness and went on strikes temporarily allied with students. The government tried to reach a compromise between workers and businesses, but workers rejected it.
During the protests, opposition and misunderstanding grew between students and workers, and the state became more conservative. Radicals began to appear, resorting to violent methods such as terror, murder, hostage-taking, and armed violence. On the one hand, left-wing students sympathized with the radicals; on the other hand, the East German government provided them with financial support. It provided radicals with moral support and resources and inspired them to continue their actions despite not having much effect on the political system.
Reference
Hitchcock, W. I. (2003). The struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945-2002. ‎Doubleday.