Abstract
One of the most important things we can say about interpretation of the events of May–June 1968 is that they should not be treated separately from the rest of the period. The ‘events’ of ’68 were a phenomenon of the Fifth Republic, a phenomenon of de Gaulle’s presidency. Let us look at the events and their aftermath from this perspective to see if we can shed light upon their significance, both for Fifth Republic politics in 1968, and for the fortunes and development of leadership politics after.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
For the full text see C. de Gaulle (1970) Discours et messages (Paris: Plon), pp.292–293.
J. Lacouture (1986) De Gaulle, Volume 3, Le souverain (Paris: Seuil), pp.714–731.
(1969) L’année politique 1968 (Paris: Presses universitaires de France), pp.46-47. For the full text of the programme see C. de Gaulle (1970) Discours et messages (Paris: Plon), pp.321–338.
See P. Bénéton and J. Touchard ‘Les interprétations de la crise de mai—juin 1968’ in Revue française de science politique, 20, 3, June 1970, pp.503–544.
Asked by one journalist in a lull in the fighting what a revolutionary should do, Cohn-Bendit’s reply was that he should go home and make love to his girlfriend. The women’s movement was clearly imperative given that your own leaders assumed that only men were revolutionaries. Young women were, in fact, very active in the demonstrations and the rioting; see P. Seale and M. McConville (1968) French Revolution 1968 (Harmondsworth: Penguin), p.73.
P. Mendès France (1962) La république moderne (Paris: Gallimard).
See inter alia J. Besançon (1997) Les murs ont la parole (Paris: Tchou)
B. Lambert (1997) Défense d’interdire (Paris: Méréal).
See inter alia J. Baynac et al. (2008) Mai 68, Le Débat (Paris: Gallimard).
See M. Larkin (1997) France since the Popular Front (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp.317–330.
K. Ross (2002) May’ 68 and its Afterlives (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2010 John Gaffney
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gaffney, J. (2010). 1968 and its Aftermath. In: Political Leadership in France. French Politics, Society and Culture Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230274785_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230274785_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-28014-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-27478-5
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)