It was a big wave of protests which began with student demonstrations to ask education sector reforms. The movement grew so much that it evolved into a strike that shook the government of the then president of France, Charles De Gaulle. “The university students joined the workers and promoted the biggest general strike in Europe, with the participation of about 9 million of people. This politically weakened General De Gaulle, who resigned a year later”, says the historian Alberto Aggiofrom the São Paulo State University (Unesp), in Franca (SP).
The beginning of it all was a series of conflicts between students and authorities at the University of Paris, in Nanterre, a city close to the French capital. On May 2, 1968, the administration decided close the school and threatened kick out several students accused of leading the movement against the institution. The measures provoked an immediate reaction from the students of one of the most renowned universities in the world, the Sorbonne, in Paris.
They met the next day to protest, leaving in parade under the command of the student leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit. The police repressed the students with violence and for several days the streets of Paris became the scene of pitched battles. A brutal reaction of the government only increased the importance of the demonstrations: the french communist party announced its support for university students and an influential federation of trade unions called a general strike for the 13th of May.
At the height of the movement, almost two thirds of the country’s workforce crossed their arms. Pressured, on May 30, President De Gaulle called elections for June. With the political maneuver (which demobilized the students) and promises of wage increases (which sent workers back to the factories), the government regained control of the situation. The elections were won by De Gaulle’s allies and the crisis was over.
PARIS ON THE WAR
University students set up barricades in the streets and used stones to confront the police.
On May 6, 1968, a march was called by the National Union of Students of France and the union of university professors. The objective was to protest against the invasion of the Sorbonne University by the police. The march was attended by more than 2,000 students, teachers and supporters of the movement, who advanced towards the Sorbonne, being violently repressed by the police.
The crowd dispersed, but some demonstrators began to erect barricades, while others threw stones at the soldiers, who were forced to retreat. After regrouping, the police resumed the offensive, firing tear gas and arresting hundreds of students. A few days later, on May 10, other gatherings took place in Paris.
The crowd erected new barricades and prepared to resist the police attack, which took place in the early hours of the morning. The clashes lasted until dawn the next day, resulting in the arrest of hundreds more demonstrators, in addition to leaving a large number of injured.
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