The victory of the Popular Front in the 1936 French elections, in the midst of a decade marked by the rise of fascism, was the slogan for a fantastic workers' explosion. In June '36, millions of workers went on strike and occupied factories, mines, offices, and shops. France was ablaze and Trotsky wrote: "The French revolution has begun"! However, the occupation movement did not reach final victory. The government of the Popular Front and the leadership of the Socialist and Communist Parties put a brake on the course of the revolution.
This book attempts, not only to describe one of the most heroic pages of the global workers' movement, but also to draw the conclusions that are today - in an era that resembles the 1930s more than ever - more useful than ever.