No study of May 68 can ignore the massive wave of strikes and the factory occupations that often accompanied them. These strikes completely transformed the political situation. Up until 13 May, France had witnessed an exceptional student mobilization, first in Paris and then in provincial universities, but after the 24-hour strike called on that day, the protest movement moved into a completely new phase. It spread ever more widely through the country and took on a new social and political importance; once the workers had exploded on to the scene the very fate of the country seemed to be at stake.