Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1757

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.3 linear feet (1 box)

Language:

French

Preferred Citation:

University of Lyon material related to the protests of May 1968, 1965, 1968, Ms. Coll. 1757, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1965, 1968 (inclusive)

Creator:

Rouet, Annick Henriette, 1944-2010

Abstract:

May 1968 in France saw a social uprising started by students that escalated to a nationwide general strike. This collection dates mostly to May of 1968, spans .3 linear feet, and contains material related to the events of the May 1968 uprising, specifically in Lyon and at the University of Lyon.

May 1968 in France saw a social uprising started by students that escalated to a nationwide general strike.

In 1958, Charles de Gaulle became France's president via extra-constitutional means due to the dissolution of the Fourth Republic. In the decade between then and 1968, the student population of France tripled, but universities remained autocratic and hierarchical. French youth wanted a culture change in universities and believed they were living under a quasi-dictatorship due to the nature of De Gaulle's ascendence. Both the Radical and Socialist parties had collapsed, leaving the progressives without hope of change via conventional political means. By May of 1968, there was a climate of frustration with tradition-bound education and political systems without viable means of changing them from within.

On International Workers' Day on May 1, 1968, after a series of student and labor-related protests, a rumor spread that a far-right student group, Occident, planned to attack Nanterre University. On May 2, part of the student union building at the Sarbonne burned down and Occident was blamed. This resulted in confrontations between students and the "fascists" at Nanterre, which is subsequently closed. The students then coalesced at the Sarbonne where they clashed with police. By May 6, hundreds were arrested and the Sarbonne closed. Clashes between students and police continued; paving stones (pavés), which become symbolic of the movement, were thrown; and both sides installed barricades throughout Paris, specifically in the Latin Quarter.

Overnight on May 10, French riot police launched an assault that resulted in 367 serious injuries, 460 arrests, and 60 burned cars. Because of the police's violent actions, the public largely sided with the students and, by May 13, trade unions and left-wing parties called for a strike in solidarity. Around 800,000 people marched in Paris, prompting Prime Minister Georges Pompidou to reopen the Sarbonne, which students immediately proclaimed occupation of. By May 22, around eight million people in France joined the strike.

On May 24, President Charles de Gaulle proposed a referendum to little effect, and protesters called for his resignation. Violence and unrest continued in Paris and fighting also broke out in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Lyon. In Lyon, a police officer was killed by a driverless truck sent into the police by protesters. Negotiations between the government and unions were held from May 25 through 27, but the hardline factions rejected the proposals and continued striking.

On May 29, Charles de Gaulle disappeared to Germany to seek support from General Jacques Massu and the French military. The following day he returned to France, dissolved the National Assembly, and called for a general election. By May 31, there were shows of support for De Gaulle. By June, most of the workers stopped striking and De Gaulle-aligned parties won in the general elections.

The events of May 1968 brought France to the precipice of a revolution, but ultimately lost steam. That said, they did prompt more gradual social change and shaped France's modern social and political order.

This material was collected by Annick Henriette Rouet (Scouten) who was a student at the University of Lyon in 1968. Rouet was born on March 22, 1944 in Colombes, France. She studied at the University of Lyon before coming to the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 to study theater history. After coming to Philadelphia, Rouet married Arthur Scouten (1910-1995), her graduate advisor at Penn. In 1983, Rouet and Scouten moved to Paris with their daughter. There, Rouet ran the study abroad program for Hollins College and SUNY Brockport. Rouet died in Paris, France on February 27, 2010.

Sources:

"Timeline May 68." RFI, 11 May 2008, www1.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/101/article_336.asp.

Wolin, Richard. "Events of May 1968." Britannica, 2015, www.britannica.com/event/events-of-May-1968.

This collection dates mostly to May of 1968, spans .3 linear feet, and contains material related to the events of the May 1968 uprising, specifically in Lyon and at the University of Lyon.

The collection is described at item level. Most of the material comes from the Faculté des Lettres of the University of Lyon and includes statements, informational documents, and a newspaper. The remaining material is organized alphabetically by organization and includes newspapers, motions (proposals), fliers, and statements.

There is also a portfolio with 11 printed posters with illustrations and slogans related to the events of May 1968. Examples of the slogans include, "Salaires légers chars lourds," "La police à l'ORTF c'est la police chez vous," "Ce journal est un pavé," "Nous sommes tous les indésirables," "La chienlit c'est lui," and "Laissons la peur du rouge aux bêtes à cornes."