Introduction to the Special Issue on 1968

The introductory essay contrasts the violent 1968 uprisings in Paris, Berlin, New York and other cities with the comparatively low‐key ways of the revolt or radicalization in the Scandinavian countries, brought about by the attitude of radicals and authorities alike. It is argued that whereas the level of violence was low in Scandinavia, the effects of '1968' have been at least as far‐reaching as in other Western countries, where sixties radicals were less easily co‐opted into mainstream society and polity. Another distinguishing trait of the Scandinavian '1968' is the role of socialism, and especially Leninism. The essay summarizes the content of the articles in the Special Issue. On the basis of the four country overviews it is noticed that there is still some way to go before the movement from memory to history is completed. The articles in this Special Issue are evidence of the progress, however, and represent a milestone on the road to maturity of research on the sixties radicalization in Scandinavia. Keywords: Scandinavia1968sixties radicalization Notes 1. Michnick is quoted in Richard B. Speed's review of Kurlansky Kurlansky, Mark. 2004. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, New York: Random House. [Google Scholar], 1968, at History News Network [cited 29 August 2007]. Available from http://hnn.us/roundup/comments/23244.html; INTERNET. 2. Leech Leech, Kenneth. Youthquake: Spirituality and the Growth of a Counter‐culture, London: Abacus. [Google Scholar], Youthquake. 3. Katsiaficas Katsiaficas, George N. 1987. The Imagination of the New Left: A Global Analysis of 1968, Boston, MA: South End Press. [Google Scholar], Imagination of the New Left, 20; Kurlansky Kurlansky, Mark. 2004. 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, New York: Random House. [Google Scholar], 1968. My italics. 4. Fraser Fraser, Ronald. 1988. 1968: A Student Generation in Revolt, London: Chatto & Windus. [Google Scholar], 1968, 4–5. 5. Having been part of Sweden since the Middle Ages, Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy within Russia from 1808 to 1917. Norway after its medieval days of glory was part of Denmark until 1814 and thereafter a kingdom under the Swedish crown until 1905. 6. Anderson Anderson, Terry H. 1995. The Movement and the Sixties, New York: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar], The Movement and the Sixties. 7. Chief of police Johan Gjerde in Arbeiderbladet, May 11, 1968. My translation. 8. Josefsson Josefsson, Sven‐Olof. 1996. "'Året var 1968. Universitetskris och studentrevolt i Stockholm och Lund'.". Doctoral diss., Gothenburg University [Google Scholar], 'Året var 1968', 137–141. 9. Suominen Suominen, Tapani. 1996. "'Verre enn Quislings hird'.". Doctoral diss., University of Oslo [Google Scholar], 'Verre enn Quislings hird', 127–129. 10. Gilcher‐Holtey Gilcher‐Holtey, Ingrid, ed. 1998. 1968, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. 'Vom Ereignis zum Gegenstand der Geschichtswissenschaft'. Special Issue, Geschichte und Gesellschaft 17 [Google Scholar], 1968. A liberal translation is 'from memory of events to an object of historiography'. 11. Östberg Östberg, Kjell. 2002. 1968. När allting var i rörelse, Stockholm: Prisma. [Google Scholar], 1968. 12. Readers familiar with Salomon Salomon, Kim. 1996. Rebeller i takt med tiden: FNL‐rörelsen och 60‐talets politiska ritualer, Stockholm: Rabén Prisma. [Google Scholar], Rebeller i takt med tiden might want to object to this claim. Despite its emphasis on political culture, however, Salomon Salomon, Kim. 1996. Rebeller i takt med tiden: FNL‐rörelsen och 60‐talets politiska ritualer, Stockholm: Rabén Prisma. [Google Scholar]'s groundbreaking work is safely within the social‐movement tradition that seems to have a strong grip on Swedish 1968 research. 13. For example Førland Førland, Tor Egil. 1998. Club 7, Oslo: Pax. [Google Scholar], Club 7 and the articles in Førland and Korsvik Førland, Tor Egil and Korsvik, Trine Rogg. 2006. 1968. Opprør og motkultur på norsk, Oslo: Pax. [Google Scholar], 1968. 14. In addition to the works on Denmark and Norway cited by Godbolt et al., see Salomon Salomon, Kim. 1996. Rebeller i takt med tiden: FNL‐rörelsen och 60‐talets politiska ritualer, Stockholm: Rabén Prisma. [Google Scholar], Rebeller i takt med tiden for similar Swedish developments. 15. On the Freeman visit, see Hagemann Hagemann, Gro. 2004. 'Norsk nyfeminisme – amerikansk import?'. Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift, 3–4: 275–287. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 'Norsk nyfeminisme'. The London congress is documented not only in Cooper Cooper, David, ed. 1968. The Dialectics of Liberation, Harmondsworth/Baltimore: Penguin. [Google Scholar], Dialectics of Liberation but also in 23 (!) LP records and a 30 minute video [cited 13 June 2008]. Available from http://www.marcuse.org/herbert/pubs/60spubs/67dialecticlib/677DialectLibIntro.htm#top; INTERNET.