May 68: The French Revolt

by William Schnabel

An entire nation was shocked when violence unexpectedly erupted in the Latin Quarter of Paris in May 1968. No one predicted the most important social movement in France in the 20th century. But student protests were consistent with the Zeitgeist of the sixties and the rejection of establishment values and authoritarianism. Within the midst of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation, radical youths, who admired Che Guevara or Mao Tse-tung, dreamed of capitalism being swept away by a revolution. When the Sorbonne was closed, students erected barricades and attacked the police with cobblestones. Workers joined students in the Movement and soon the nation was paralyzed by a general strike. May 68 is the narrative of the days that shook an entire nation, all the way to the Élysée Palace and president Charles de Gaulle.

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2018