May Revolution - May Revolution

A social crisis in France that began in May and June 1968 with student rebellions, escalating into nationwide demonstrations and general strikes, destabilizing the De Gaulle regime and the Fifth Republic.

The student movement, which was sparked by university conflicts at the University of Caen in January and at the University of Paris Nanterre on March 22, gained momentum from May 2 to 13 at the Sorbonne and Nanterre campuses of the University of Paris under the leadership of Cohn-Bendit, but was subjected to severe repression by the government and police. Infuriated by these government measures, high school students and young workers from all over the country joined the movement, and wildcat strikes and factory occupations became frequent. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), and the National Educational Federation (FEN) held a general strike and large-scale demonstrations in protest on May 13, the 10th anniversary of the Algerian uprising, and from that day onwards the student movement deepened its ties with the labor movement. From the following day, the 14th, strikes began to take over workplaces in earnest, spreading to Renault automobile factories, national railways, the media, and financial institutions, and taking on the appearance of a general strike. In order to resolve this crisis that was on the brink of civil war, the government called on representatives of labor and management to conclude the Grenelle Accords on May 27, which promised a large increase in wages and improvements to social security and labor union rights, but this failed to calm the movement, and President de Gaulle dissolved parliament on May 30 to ask for his confidence. A general election to select a new parliament was held from June 23 to 30, and ended with a landslide victory for the ruling party, while the United Socialist Party (PSU), which supported the far-left student movement, lost all of its seats. The ruling party won 358 out of 485 seats, of which 294 were won by the de Gaulle faction, and the movement died down. However, although public opinion of the French people temporarily became conservative due to fear of the far-left movement, this "May Revolution" overturned the foundations of the de Gaulle regime and laid the groundwork for the later Mitterrand Socialist Party government.

[Kenichi Yokoyama]

“Student Revolution” by D. Cohn Bendit et al., translated by Takeshi Ebisaka (1968, Jinbun Shoin) ▽ “Alain TouraineLe communisme topique (1968, Seuil)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1968年5月から6月にかけて、学生の反乱に端を発し全国的示威行動やゼネストへと発展、ドゴール体制＝第五共和政を揺るがせたフランスの社会危機。

　1月のカーン大学や3月22日のパリ大学ナンテール校舎での大学紛争を発火点とし、5月2日から13日にかけてパリ大学のソルボンヌ校舎とナンテール校舎を中心に、コーン・ベンディットらの指導者を得て高揚した学生運動は、政府・警察権力から激しい弾圧を被った。こうした政府の措置に憤激した各地の高校生や青年労働者がこの運動に参加し、山猫ストと工場占拠が頻発した。また労働総同盟（CGT）やフランス民主労働総同盟（CFDT）、全国教育連盟（FEN）などが5月13日のアルジェリア反乱10周年記念日に抗議のゼネストと大規模なデモを行い、この日以降、学生運動は労働運動との結び付きを深めた。翌14日からストライキが本格的に労働現場を席巻(せっけん)し、ルノー自動車工場や国営鉄道をはじめ、マスコミ、金融機関に至るまで拡大化し、ゼネストの様相を呈した。こうした内乱寸前の危機を収拾するために、政府は労使の代表をよんで、賃金の大幅引上げや社会保障ならびに労組の権利の改善・向上を約束したグルネル協約accords de Grenelleを5月27日に締結したが、運動を鎮静することができず、ドゴール大統領は5月30日に議会を解散して信を問うた。新しい議会を選ぶ総選挙は6月23～30日に施行されて与党の圧勝に終わり、極左的学生運動を支持した統一社会党（PSU）はすべての議席を失った。与党は485議席中358議席を占め、そのうち294議席はドゴール派が獲得し、運動は下火になった。しかし、極左的運動を恐れてフランス国民の世論は一時的に保守化したとはいえ、この「五月革命」によってドゴール体制の根底が覆されて、後のミッテラン社会党政権への布石となった。

［横山謙一］

『D・コーン・ベンディット他著、海老坂武訳『学生革命』（1968・人文書院）』▽『Alain TouraineLe communisme topique (1968, Seuil)』

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