May 1968 France Protests
The civil unrest in May 1968 in France began with student protests. The students were fighting against a range of issues including capitalism, consumerism and the traditional institutions. They were against the class structure that discriminated against some people and that affected the funding for universities. On May 2, Sorbonne University in Paris was closed after numerous conflicts between students. On May 6, more than 20,000 students and supporters marched to the school which was surrounded by the police. The police reacted to the students with batons and tear gas.
Another protest began on May 10 and once again protesters clashed with police. The students were met with violence and arrests. When the aftermath was shown on television the following day and many people began to feel sympathy for the students. Another protest was planned for May 13 and this time more than a million people came to support the students. Over the next few days’ workers joined the strikes by doing sit-downs in factories.
The movement grew until two-thirds of the French workforce was on strike. The protests continued throughout the month and the government believed that it could lead to a revolution. Charles de Gaulle temporarily fled the country and when he returned he refused to resign and instead announced a new election for June.
The news of a new election calmed the protesters and gradually things returned to normal. The workers went back to the factories and students returned to classes at Sorbonne. When the elections were held, the Gaullist government took its greatest victory in Parliamentary history. De Gaulle’s party took 353 out of 486 seats leaving 34 for the Communists and 57 for the Socialists. The crisis did lead to many thinking de Gaulle was no longer able to act as President. A referendum in April 1969 led to de Gaulle’s resignation.