Ancient Rome was marked by relentless class struggle between the patricians, the aristocratic class, and the plebeians, the commoners. Unlike the patricians, who monopolized vast tracts of land and high posts in the Senate, the plebeians, who made up the overwhelming majority of the population, groaned under the yoke of excessive debt, frequent military conscription, and restrictions on access to high office. In 494 B.C., young plebeians enraged by the unjust social system carried out the so-called "secession of the plebs," collectively leaving Rome. The ruling class, fearing instability of the system, introduced the office of tribune, which granted protection to commoners and a veto over government decisions, and also allowed commoners to rise to the consulship.
England, swept by the Black Death in the 14th century, was similar. As the population plummeted, the labor value of young farmers and artisans rose sharply, but the government sought to maintain the existing order. Ignoring legitimate demands for wage increases, it even imposed a poll tax in the name of war costs. Ultimately, in June 1381, young farmers rose in revolt crying out for a "fair society," and this dismantled the foundation of serfdom rooted in medieval Europe, becoming an occasion for improving the treatment of the lower classes.
The "Arab Spring," which began in Tunisia in 2010 and spread like wildfire to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, was the rage of a young generation channeled through smartphones and the internet. It was a "youth revolution" launched by a young generation crushed by youth unemployment, the gap between rich and poor, corrupt dictatorial power, and human rights suppression. In the end, the dictatorship collapsed as Tunisia's president went into exile. This is not only the case overseas. The April 19 Revolution of 1960, which resisted the rigged March 15 election, and the June Democratic Struggle of 1987, which changed the course of history toward direct presidential elections, also saw Korea's young people play a leading role.
The anger of Korea's younger generation, triggered by the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections, is spreading to universities across the country. "Suffrage, the fruit of the democratization movement, has been violated," they cry, venting their indignation at the unfairness of our society. Is now not the time to examine not only the political and social systems but also economic fairness? With a rigid labor market that blocks youth employment, worsening youth unemployment, and sky-high housing prices, they are now weeping in their hearts.
