ABSTRACT
The analytical approach of comparing patterns of workers' behaviour during strikes on an international basis has remained, not unexpectedly, the domain of sociologists and economists since they have had the long-term data available. This chapter explains the political and organizational factors which were at work for instance in 1968, in contrast to the very different strike waves of 1936 and 1919–20. It deals with the waves of strikes based on annual statistics. Strike waves as a result of French industrial relations were clearly weaker than strike waves caused by comparable problems in Britain and Germany. Strike participation according to industrial sectors was markedly different in France. The strike activity of the usually very militant miners and textile workers, however, reached its peak in years different to those four upswings in the general number of strikes. The strong regional and local powers of French unions were another factor explaining the comparatively low profile of strike waves in France.
