May 1968 in Paris means 1968 as a whole for many, many people. It is not difficult to explain: the student occupation protests at that month was so big, and went so far beyond mere protests, that May 68 became a landmark in the most remarkable year of the History.
The students movement involved much more than protests against the educational system, the primary reason of May 68. It became a series of manifestantions against everything: the government, the left parties, the traditional way of like, the sexual repression. In short, everything.
It all started with a small protest of students in Nanterre, near Paris, in April., with the leadership of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who became one of the symbols of the movement. But in May this snowball dominated Paris all month long, with protests that was commanded by students in schoks with the police and culminated in the largest general strike to date.
All this movement was reinforce also by brilliant slogans like "It is forbidden to forbid" and "All power to imagination".
The movement was so big, strong and broad in its proposals that the traditional French left was concerned and chose to be aside of De Gaulle, the president at this time, a traditional "enemy".
And, surprising as it was, May 1968 just desappeared in June. After a lot of street battles with the students, the government started to think that the students protests and the general strike could result in a civil war.
The protests reached such a point that government leaders feared civil war or revolution. But supported with the French Communist Party and the unions, de Gaulle won the election in June. And all that movement just seemed to disappear. The Gaullist party formed a new governament and emerged stronger than before.
But May 1968 did not die. It still lives, 44 year after. It has a strong influence in our way of live until today. And seems to last for many more years.
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