AllMovie

France has been known to go along quietly for decades under unsatisfactory regimes, only to erupt in protests and civil chaos when finally sufficiently aroused. This documentary chronicles the Parisian uprisings of students, young people and disaffected intellectuals in May of 1968, an event that coincided with a nationwide trade-union strike. By the end of May, however, the unions had settled with the government, and the students, no doubt fatigued, left the streets. These protests and strikes very nearly brought down the de Gaulle government and paved the way for a national vote of no-confidence in 1969.