On the book's cover, a demonstration, one of countless others in the working class, particularly the miners of Pas-de-Calais, recognizable by their helmets. They carry tattered red flags; women, children, men, they shout their anger and their demands. The words of the song "The Red Flag," written by Paul Brousse in 1877, gradually come back to me: ---- "The rebels of the Middle Ages ---- Displayed it on many a belfry. ----[...]---- There it is! There it is! Look! ---- It flies and proudly moves, ---- Its long folds prepared for battle, ---- Dare, dare to defy it! ---- Our superb red flag! ---- Red with the blood of the worker!"
In his book, *Histoire des révoltes populaires en France* (History of Popular Revolts in France), Gérard Vindt places the Yellow Vests within the long history of revolts in France. "The Yellow Vest movement is unprecedented, but not without explicit reminders of the country's revolutionary past."
What are we talking about?
The choice of words is fundamental. Are we talking about revolt, rebellion, fury (to use Christine de Pizan's term), riot, or simply social movements? Each term corresponds to a specific period in history. One common thread is the protests of ordinary people, even if the activists often come from the educated middle class. From the 12th to the 21st century, they oppose power, coercion, the State, and the emerging capitalism, as the first chapter demonstrates. And against or for what? There are continuities, such as inadequate protection and security, but also the rejection of a new injustice, the contempt of the powerful for the "poor." An entire chapter is devoted to the actions taken, the use of violence, and the spread of protest. How do the authorities and society react? What support do these revolts have? I would add that Gérard Vindt complements his analysis of French society with parallels across Europe, demonstrating interconnections.
In 96 pages of text-a remarkable achievement-he highlights peasant and urban revolts, their specific characteristics, against the local lord and the communal patriarchy, as in Laon, but also the great Jacquerie of 1358 in the Île-de-France region and beyond, against the lords. Some names are now largely forgotten: the Tuchins, the Maillotins, the Croquants' revolt in Périgord, the Red Caps in Brittany against the soldiery and the tax authorities. Famine was a reality in the kingdom. Consider the "Flour War" of 1775 against the "starvers." Sometimes, revolts were directed against recruiting agents who forced volunteers. Thus, by challenging army recruitment, it was the royal power itself that was threatened. And as we turn the pages, we see the emergence of slave revolts, the first workers' uprisings, including that of the famous Canuts in 1831, and the so-called "Four Sous" revolt in Anzin in 1833.
What was the underlying logic of these movements?
The labor movement became more structured, with social issues taking center stage, including the creation of the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) in 1895, the proliferation of strikes, and the culmination of the 1936 uprising. Revolt was not necessarily "left-wing." Gérard Vindt cites those against the "yellows" (1886, the Watrin affair, Pascal Dessaint, Rivages, 2023), against foreigners, as in Aigues-Mortes (Of Salt and Blood, Fred Paronuzzi and Vincent Djinda, Les Arènes BD, 2022), and the actions of the leagues in 1934. After the Second World War, France experienced colonial revolts, the Poujadist movement, and, of course, 1968, the revolt against authority.
The feeling of revolt after 1980 was directed against those responsible for inequality and job insecurity: French employers and European institutions. The actors in these revolts sometimes transcend the notion of social class: women, young people, and more broadly, new social movements.
Is there a logic to these movements? Can the outbreak of a revolt be predicted? Let us recall Le Monde of March 15, 1968: "When France is bored..." or the explosion of the Yellow Vests-who predicted it? It is part of the social fabric, a force of "enough is enough." Political leaders imagine that it will pass once more, and then one day... This concise work, accompanied by a rich bibliography, effectively opens up reflection for activists and those involved in social life.
* Gérard Vindt
History of Popular Revolts in France
Ed. La Découverte, coll. Repères Histoire, no. 759, 2026
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8967
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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