On this day in 1968, the May 68 Rebellion, the largest general strike in French history, began when school officials shut down the University of Paris after months of student protests, escalating to nationwide unrest.
In mid-March, leftist students had occupied an administration building there, although they left peacefully after their demands were published. On May 6th, more than 20,000 students, teachers, and supporters engaged in a protest march. The march was attacked by police and devolved into a riot.
The state repression of protesters caused two major left union federations, the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) and the Force Ouvrière (CGT-FO), to call a one-day general strike on May 13th. More than one million people demonstrated that day.
By the middle of May, demonstrations had extended to factories, though their demands were different from the students'. Across France, students occupied university structures and up to one-third of the country's workforce was on strike.
The protests were so widespread and energetic that many political leaders feared civil war or revolution. President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France to Germany at one point, and the national government at times ceased to function.
Revolution was averted when de Gaulle dissolved the National Assembly and scheduled an election that the left dissidents agreed to participate in. Revolutionary fervor subsided and the government banned a number of leftist organizations in the following months.
In the election, de Gaulle's party won the greatest victory in French parliamentary history, taking 353 of 486 seats versus the Communists' 34 and the Socialists' 57.
How Beautiful It Was - Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2018/05/how-beautiful-it-was/
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Hostage Life posting will continue until I get over my shitty work day
https://youtu.be/Aye-K6OtExI
reduced me from a person to a mere position
still, I’d like to think this counter is our one division
train took forever at union station
I’m your petty victory for the day
policy restraining what I’d like to say
train took forever at union station
don’t wanna work for your company
don’t wanna die in your factory
don’t wanna buy what you’re selling me
but I’ve got no choice
subway cars just above the seats
show the signs of passengers trying to sleep
train took forever at union station
it’s all peeling paint and hair grease stains
a million tired commuters only remains
train took forever at union station
I never thought that I would fail at just getting by
I never thought that I would feel trapped in my life
I never thought that I would see a dildo wearing a tie
I never thought that I would see one reach a rank so high
face forward with lips on strings
pull them up ‘til you’re a lovely thing
train took forever at union stationI’m
punching in for longer than I sleep
because my next dime was spent last week
train took forever at union station
fuck you, I quit