Not only do a majority of the French feel that the law increasing the retirement age was forced through in an undemocratic manner, but that President Macron does not have a popular mandate for such far reaching legislation. Macron, in his second five-year term, was elected not because he was most favored, but because his opponent, Marine Le Pen, was an outright fascist. While a significant part of the electorate is religious and socially conservative, her antisemitism and contempt for France's Muslims was a bit too much. The last presidential vote was a vote to keep Le Pen out, not in support of Macron. Indeed, France's left campaigned for the electorate to vote "strategically".

The French left, with its revolutionary tradition, has a history of almost, but not quite, achieving power. The times they really did achieve dominance, as in the pre-WWII Blum government, they failed to support the Spanish Republic in its fight against the Hitler and Mussolini supported General Franco. This led to generations of fascism for Spain. The Socialist Mitterrand government did make social achievements. President Holland was socialist in name only. His presidency turned into something of a joke when he was photographed sneaking out of the Elysee palace on a scooter to go visit his mistress.

Currently, the French labor movement is more unified than it has been in a long time. Still, labor's relationship with the political left under Jean Luc Mélenchon is bumpy. As the leader of the "Insoumis" (unsubmissive) party, Mélenchon somewhat combines the qualities of Jean Jaurès, Eugene Debs, and Bernie Sanders.

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Historical Background: The Revolution and The Commune