The leader of the French radical left sets out a vision for a new type of revolution in our time

A crisis wracked French politics in the summer of 2024, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party winning in the first round of voting for the French National Assembly, bringing its nationalist and anti- immigrant politics to the threshold of power. But a week later, in second round elections, a coalition of left-wing parties triumphed at the polls, denying Le Pen’s forces victory and dealing a blow to the centrist forces of President Emmanuel Macron.

The triumph of the left in France can in many ways be credited to Jean- Luc Mélenchon, who united the French left in a strategic coalition to defeat Le Pen and articulated a radical new vision for society. Now, the People! is a challenging work from Mélenchon that details his vision of revolution in our time, not only in France but around the world.

Mélenchon embarks on a survey of human history from earliest times to the crisis-ridden present. He elaborates his vision for a new strategy for radical parties to reach the highest levels of government but also to transform the capitalist system in a peaceful manner: the citizens’ revolution.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon was for many years a leading member of the French Socialist Party. He broke with the Socialists in 2008 and founded the movement that is now La France Insoumise (France Unbowed). He stood in the presidential elections of 2012, 2017, and 2022, and in the latter came close to advancing into the run-off. He is the author of more than twenty books.