There is Very Little Research on the effect renegades and critics of the movement have had on the continuing debate about the legacy of “1968” in Germany. While their headline-grabbing theses are duly reported in the press (see chapter 6), their vociferous attacks on the politics, behavior, ideology, sexual proclivities, and utopian dreams of the protesters have contributed to the longevity of “1968” in Germany. Some of the criticism is rational and rooted in a different political worldview, mainly formulated by those who opposed the radical students at the time. But there is also a different form of criticism, one that burns with such a fierce hatred that, almost 50 years on when even former enemies have found an accommodation, requires an explanation. Such venomous attacks on the 68ers and their legacy, in nonfiction and fiction, are often made by individuals who were born well after 1968. A special case exists when former activists change their minds and attack the very ideals they once held so dear. In some instances, this may amount to autobiographical psychotherapy; in others, to an honest reflection of, and confrontation with, their former beliefs. This chapter presents some of these critical voices and demonstrates how they have contributed to the construction of “1968” in Germany.

Before we look at Germany, though, it is useful to acknowledge that a critical attitude toward “1968” can be found in many countries. I have already mentioned Kristin Ross's account of the afterlives of the French May, and there is certainly no shortage of “68er bashing” in the United Kingdom.As far as the United States are concerned, the gently ironic tone of cultural critic Joe Queenan aptly sums up the situation: “Baby Boomers, like bubonic plague, will continue to be a scourge on the planet for many years to come.” Queenan criticizes a generation that promised not to “sell out” and then did, their “incessant invocation of sixties mythology” (30), and the “premature nostalgia” (31) that surrounds the era. This raises the question, why write a book about them and give them all this attention?

Gerard DeGroot, an American historian working in the United Kingdom, has attempted to “unplug” the sixties and view its historical significance without the amplification of the myth.