Since there is talk of a general strike in Greece, Egypt, and Tunisia, it might be useful to take a look back at the largest strike in history. French workers and students defeated the police repression, took control the economy, put de Gaulle to flight, and had French soldiers declaring their solidarity and stating openly they would not fire on the strikers if ordered to do so. Tragically, they were defeated by international capital with the connivance of the Communist Party and the trade unions. It is the saddest chapter in the history of labor resistance.
Here's a good review:
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Dermot_Streeran__France__The_General_Strike_of_1968.html
Here's an excellent eyewitness account by the great Maurice Brinton:
http://libcom.org/library/May-68-Solidarity
Here's an audio presentation:
http://www.marxist.com/audio-france-may-1968-go.htm
Here's a video:
http://academicearth.org/lectures/may-1968
And here's a better video:
