Abstract

After a brief methodological consideration, the essay focuses on three main aspects: the distinction of the social phenomena associated with the years 1968 and 1969; the socio-political preparation of the so-called 'Hot Autumn', consisting of expectations and fears, which tended to anticipate its outcomes; the remarkable participation of workers from large segments of the private and public sectors in the so-called 'Union Autumn' as a mature social identity that demanded recognition, openly pointing to the issue of a proper relationship between social representation and political representation, still unresolved at the end of 1969.