October 2026 turned out to be rich in social protests, which in the age of social networks have an instant fire effect. As always, revolutionary France is at the head of the riots. It all started with protests by lyceum students who are dissatisfied with the underfunding of the education system. Soon, their parents and anarchists joined the riots.
The mass media are actively discussing the background of the events. The right-wing media emphasize the active participation of emigrants in protests and call them an almost hot "Arab autumn" in Paris. Left-wing mass media pay attention to the objective nature of the protests, which have deep social roots. After all, several trends were synchronized over time. The world economy is rapidly moving into the post-industrial era. Artificial intelligence threatens to deprive even the temporary earnings of the precariats, that is, a class that does not have a stable job and is forced to work freelance under fixed-term contracts. Robotics is affecting the prospects of even skilled industrial workers. Europe assumed the lion's share of support for Ukraine in the war with the Russian Federation.
As a result, social spending decreased and interest on servicing loans taken to restore the defense sector increased. All this is happening against the background of the cultural and political wars of "old" Europe and Trump. On the other hand, the trade balance deficit in relations between Europe and China is growing rapidly. The energy shock from the war in the Persian Gulf and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was superimposed on the negative trends. The indicated trends lead to a reduction in the usual level of consumption and an inflationary increase in the price of everyday life. How can we not mention Toynbee here, who argued that emigrants belonging to a different cultural space, in alliance with the marginalized strata of European societies, are able to turn from the "external proletariat" into the "internal proletariat".
As a result, ultra-right and ultra-left populists collide, creating a "revolutionary cocktail" that would make Marx himself dizzy. The Alternative for Germany party, which on October 20, 2026 admitted that as a result of a hacker attack, the confidential correspondence of party activists was made public, called on the federal government to take a more responsible approach to maintaining social peace in Germany. After all, France, Spain, and Italy are already burning in the flames of social protests. Initiatives put forward by the "geniuses of the flint valley" (they are techno-fascists like Musk, Thiel, etc. in the leftist rhetoric) regarding the replacement of compulsory labor with a guaranteed social minimum of payments to the entire population still look like a communist utopia.
But the question of what to do with the world of work, which under the influence of artificial intelligence is narrowing like shagreen skin, has no answer. And while this is the case, European cities will burn in the flames of social protests. This was already the case in Europe in 1848, when a traditional society was transitioning to an industrial one, and this transition period, during which, according to the Soviet anecdote of the transition to communism, "no one will be fed on the way," promises decades of socio-political instability ahead. It is only the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end.
Andrii Martynov, doctor of historical sciences, professor, expert Institute "Intermarium" of European and world politicians
