324
See also: Nkrumah wins Ghanaian independence 306–07 ■ The March on
Washington 311 ■ The Gulf of Tonkin Incident 312–13 ■ De Gaulle founds
the French Fifth Republic 340 ■ The Red Army Faction’s terrorist activity 341I
n 1968, a small demonstration
over poor campus facilities at
Nanterre University in a suburb
of Paris, France, spread across the
country. In March, riot police were
called to deal with the unrest, and
hundreds of students descended on
Nanterre. By May, the uprising had
moved to the center of Paris, and
the number of protestors swelled to
thousands. Tension erupted on the
streets, as demonstrators called for
revolutionary social change and the
collapse of the government. Within
a few days, 8 million workers went
on a wildcat strike that brought
France to a standstill.A momentous year
France’s journey to near revolution
is the defining event of 1968, a year
of global protest. Much was against
the Vietnam War, but many people
also marched against oppressive
regimes. Politics became more
radical: the “coming out” of sexual
minorities, women’s liberation, and
sexual equality came to the fore. In
the United States, groups such as
the Black Panthers fought for racialequality; and the German Student
Movement, led by Rudi Dutschke,
opposed the older generation, who
had been part of World War II.
The French protests lost steam
as elections showed overwhelming
support for the government. The
revolutionary movements of 1968
ultimately failed, but they inspired a
generation to question authority. In
their wake came a rise in left-wing
terrorist groups that used bombing
and kidnapping while purporting
to fight for social justice. ■ALL POWER TO
THE PEOPLE
THE 1968 PROTESTS
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Radical post-war politicsBEFORE
1963 The Feminine Mystique
by Betty Friedan reignites the
women’s rights movement.1967 The killing in Berlin of
student demonstrator Benno
Ohnesorg sparks a revolt.March 1968 Demonstrators
in Italy protest against police
br ut a l it y.AFTER
1969 The Days of Rage
demonstrations in Chicago use
violence to protest against the
Vietnam War and US racism.1970s The radical group
Japanese Red Army protests
the presence of US military
bases in Japan.1978 The Italian Red Brigades
take former prime minister
Aldo Moro hostage as part
of their left-wing terrorist
campaign.What’s important is that
the action took place,
when everybody judged
it to be unthinkable.
Jean-Paul SartreUS_324-325_France68-Mandela.indd 324 04/03/2016 16:07
325
See also: The Slave Trade Abolition Act 226–27 ■ The Berlin Conference 258–59 ■
Nkrumah wins Ghanaian independence 306–07 ■ The March on Washington 311N
elson Mandela received a
life prison sentence in 1964
for his role in anti-apartheid
protests held in Sharpeville, South
Africa. Mandela was a militant
member of the African National
Congress (ANC), set up to campaign
against apartheid, a system of racial
segregation enforced by the white
ruling government. While in prison,
Mandela had become a symbol of
the struggle for racial equality. On
his release in 1990, he was greeted
with euphoria.When the Nationalist Party was
elected to power in 1948, white
Afrikaners implemented a brutal
apartheid policy—black people
were segregated and could not
vote. Many in the anti-apartheid
movement advocated non-violent
protest, which helped rally white
South Africans to their cause.
Apartheid was globally condemned,
and tough international sanctions
were imposed.A new dawn
In 1990, President F. W. De Klerk
astounded the world by lifting bans
on the ANC. Seeing the need for
fundamental change, he had been
in secret negotiations for two years
to end the apartheid system.
Multiracial elections were
held in 1994, and Mandela won
by a huge margin. His release
was one of the defining moments
of the late 20th century, ending
300 years of white rule in South
Africa. It transformed the country
into a multiracial democracy
without the bloody civil war that
so many had feared. ■THE MODERN WORLD
NEVER NEVER
AND NEVER
AGAIN
THE RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA ( 1990 )
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
End of apartheidBEFORE
1948 The National Party (NP)
takes power, adopting a policy
of apartheid (separateness).1960 Seventy black protesters
are killed at Sharpeville; the
African National Congress
(ANC) is banned.1961 South Africa is declared
a republic and leaves the
Commonwealth. Mandela
heads the ANC’s military wing.AFTER
1991 F. W. De Klerk repeals
apartheid laws; international
sanctions are lifted.1994 With the first democratic
elections, South Africa joins
the UN General Assembly.1996 The Truth and
Reconciliation Commission
begins hearings on human
rights crimes committed in
the apartheid era.Friends, comrades, and
fellow South Africans, I greet
you all in the name of peace,
democracy, and freedom for all.
Nelson MandelaUS_324-325_France68-Mandela.indd 325 15/02/2016 16:45