In East Europe, the "messages" of 1968 had a particular resonance: the ruling elite thought that the revision of state socialism from a self-governing perspective and the old "workers' council" programme of social self-management as more dangerous than the growing demand for western-style bourgeois democratic freedom rights and the devotion – based on illusions – to the "values" of the consumer society.

The chair of the international and non-partisan meeting in Paris on June 16-17, 2008 draws conclusions from the discussions. Whether a US- centred global financial system, and based on the dollar as a reserve currency, will continue for much longer is an open question. We must embark, from the beginning, on a directed, long-term strategy, initially based on public investment, while the fundamental issues are obscured by a superficial international regulatory discourse.

"1968" was long associated with the revolt against consumer capitalism and with the values of the new left but hegemonic capitalist ideology – as the winner – later appropriated it. The Slovene philosopher takes a unique angle in analysing the economic, social and ideological background of this shift. He also investigates what remains from the heritage of '68; the changing features of capitalism, whether the idea of communism remains valid in the contemporary "postmodern" world; and, if the answer is yes, then what is and how can an "up-to-date" criticism of capitalism be made.

The Wall Street meltdown is not only due to greed and a lack of government regulation of a hyperactive sector. It stems from the crisis of overproduction that has plagued global capitalism since the mid-seventies. The author raises and answers the frequently asked questions.

The author regards 1968 as a focus: the epicentre of the two-decade period that resulted in the socio-economic and cultural-intellectual transformation of the capitalist world system – spanning from decolonisation to the victory of neoliberalism that opened the era of globalisation.