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Commentators have often noted the different spatial dimensions of the protests of the 1968 moment.¹ One concrete approach to this question is to examine the interplay between nation, region and locality in that historical sequence which is often dubbed "May 68". One effect of French centralization is to impose a chronology — reflected in the very designation "May 68" — which is only appropriate to the national scene and to a national history centred on General de Gaulle. In this narrative de Gaulle is portrayed as having once again, as in 1940 to 1944, 'saved" the nation. But in recent years research has drawn attention to the diversity of this sociocultural upheaval which so profoundly transformed French society. This chapter sets out to explore the different chronologies of protest between the national and regional, showing that they did not always overlap. Indeed they sometimes operated quite autonomously of each other depending on the local balance of political forces and on the reaction of the authorities. In telling this story it is important also to take account of the role of public opinion and the way in which the events were represented by political groups and by the media.

DOI: 10.1057/9780230319561_13

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