This article focuses on land ownership protests in France between 1960 and 1970. The idea of property access, often considered to be of littleimportance, returned unexpectedly in the 1960s, whilst agriculture underwent profound and rapid known as “the silent revolution”. The French countryside was marked by strong tensions during this period and a sharp increase in protests and calls for direct action. Amongst these, there were actions against multiple land holders triggered by the need to expand productive lands to make them viable. Using unedited judicial sources, this article depicts how agricultural modernization generated uncensored tensions and innovative forms of mobilization around the question of access to land, represented by strenuous collective and professional struggles led by the trade union movement, the Fédération Nationale des Syndicatsd’Expoitantsd’Agricoles–FNSEA.
Land ownership, Protests, France, 1960-1970, Trade union movement