during the steady but not stirring days of recon-
struction, when for the ordinary people life was
unexciting. Their expectations went far beyond
what was being provided. The political leadership
from left to right had followed the road of com-
promise and bargain, while the young activists
had utopian visions of social revolution and
regeneration. The shining example of democracy
and prosperity, the US, was cast in the role of bar-
baric aggressor in Vietnam. The disillusionment
was as exaggerated as the earlier admiration had
been, and riots broke out in the cities. While the
froth on the surface of these exciting events soon
blew away, in Italy the year 1968 had a long-term
impact on industrial relations and economic
growth.554 THE RECOVERY OF WESTERN EUROPE IN THE 1950s AND 1960s