The Protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely led by students and workers. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Some observers saw them as a revolutionary wave. A revolutionary wave is a series of Revolutions occurring in various locations

Background

First World

The protests that dominated the 1968 were the product of social changes during the twenty years following the end of World War II. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the war most of the world experienced an unusual surge in births, creating a large age demographic. As is often the case after a major war the end of World War II brought a Baby boom to many countries notably those in Europe, Asia, North America Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles In the First World, these babies were born during a time of peace and prosperity for most countries. The term " first world " refers to countries that are capitalist, which are technologically advanced and whose Baby boomer is a term used to describe a person who was born during the Post-World War II baby boom between 1946 and 1964 Permissive theories of childrearing, popular in the west, taught them that their happiness was important to others. Benjamin McLane Spock ( May 2, 1903 &ndash March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child ^[1] This was the first generation to grow up with television in their homes. Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic ^[2] Television had a profound effect on this generation in two ways. First, it gave them a common perspective from which to view the world. ^[3] The children growing up in this era shared not only the news and programs that they watched on television, they also got glimpses of each other’s world. An era is a commonly used word for long period of time When used in science for example geology eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined Secondly, television allowed them to experience major public events. Public education was becoming more widely attended and more standardized, creating another shared experience. Public education is education mandated for or offered to the children of the general public by the Government, whether national regional or local provided by an institution A technical standard is an established norm or requirement It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria methods processes and practices Chain stores and franchised restaurants were bringing shared shopping and dining experiences to people in different parts of the world. Chain stores are Retail outlets that share a Brand and central management and usually have standardized business methods and practices Franchising refers to the methods of practicing and using another person's Philosophy of business. ^[4] These factors all combined to create a generation that was more self-aware and more united as a group than the generations before it. Self-awareness is the concept that one exists as an individual separate from other people with private Thoughts.

Waves of social movements throughout the 1960’s began to shape the values of the generation that were college students during 1968. Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of Individuals and/or Organizations focused on specific A personal and cultural value is a Relative ethic value, an assumption upon which implementation can be extrapolated In America, the Civil Rights Movement was at its most violent. See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in So, too, in Northern Ireland, where it paved the way for an organised revolt against British occupation. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Italy and France were in the midst of a socialist movement. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The New Left political movement was causing political upheavals in many European and South American countries. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict had already started. Great Britain’s anti-war movement was very strong and African independence was a continuing struggle. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands A peace movement is a Social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or all wars minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or The African Independence Movements took place in the 1960s when a wave of struggles for independence in African colonies was witnessed The Cuban Missile Crisis and the cold war was another shared experience of this generation. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. The knowledge that a nuclear attack could end their life at any moment was reinforced with classroom bomb drills^[5] creating an atmosphere of fear. As they became older teens the anti-war movement and the feminist movement were becoming a force in much of the world. The feminist movement (also known as the Women's Movement or Women's Liberation) is a series of campaigns on issues such as Reproductive rights (sometimes The feminist movement made the generation question their belief that the family was more important than the individual. The peace movement made them question and distrust authority even more that then they had already. A peace movement is a Social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or all wars minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or ^[6] By the time they started college many were part of the anti-establishment culture and became the impetus for a wave of rebellion that started on college campuses and swept the world. The Counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s refers to a period between 1960 and 1973 that began in the United States as a reaction against

The college students of 1968 embraced the New Left politics. Their socialist leanings and distrust of authority led to many of the 1968 conflicts. The dramatic events of the year showed both the popularity and limitations of New Left ideology, a radical leftist movement that was also deeply ambivalent about its relationship to communism during the middle and later years of the Cold War. The New Left were the Left-wing movements in different countries in the 1960s and 1970s that unlike the earlier leftist focus on union activism instead adopted a Ultra-left|Radical left|Radicalism (historical|Hard left Far left and extreme left are terms used to discuss the position a group or person occupies within a Political spectrum Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the

Socialist states

Protests were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia as the first mass protest after the Second World War. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The Protests

Helsinki demonstration against the invasion of Czechoslovakia

The protests that raged throughout 1968 were for the most part student led. World wide, campuses became the front-line battle grounds for social change. While anti-war protests dominated the protests, students also protested for civil liberties, against racism, for feminism, and the beginnings of the ecological movement can be traced to the protests against biological and nuclear weapons during this year. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate The Ecological and Environmental Movement (Κίνημα Οικολόγων Περιβαλλοντιστών Kinima Oikologoi Perivallontistoi) also rendered as Cyprus Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. ^[7] Television, so influential in forming the political identity of this generation became the tool of choice for the revolutionaries. They fought their battles not just on college campuses but also on the television screen by courting media coverage. The news media refers to the section of the Mass media that focuses on presenting current News to the public ^[8]

Mexico City, West Berlin, Rome and many U. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 S. cities saw relatively small protests against university administrations. Some countries, like Spain, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Brazil had more widespread protests against repressive governments. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Political repression is the Persecution of an individual or group for political reasons particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part In Paris, Italy and Argentina, the students were joined by the labor unions. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The German student movements were largely a reaction against the perceived authoritarianism and hypocrisy of the German government and other Western governments, particularly in relation to the poor living conditions of students. The German student movement (also called 68er-Bewegung, movement of 1968, or soixante-huitaires) was a Protest movement that took place during The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation Verb "studēre" In the United States, the Civil Rights Movement had turned away from the south and toward the cities in the north with the issues of open housing and the Black Consciousness Movement. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African In the United States, the fair housing (also open housing) policies date largely from the 1960s The Black Consciousness Movement ( BCM was a Grassroots anti- Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of The Black movement unified as a movement and gained international recognition with the emergence of the Black Power and Black Panthers organizations and their support of violence as a means of protest. Black Power is a racially based Political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist / Maoist African-American organization established ^[9]

• Students at the University of Madrid protested the involvement of police in student demonstrations, protested the Dictator Francisco Franco’s regime, and demonstrated about trade unions and worker rights. A dictator is an Authoritarian ruler (eg Absolutist or autocratic) who assumes sole and absolute power without hereditary ascension such as an Absolute Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid ^[10]
• Students in 108 German universities protested for recognition of East Germany, the removal of government officials with Nazi pasts and for the rights of students. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state ^[11]
• In what became known as Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia’s first secretary Alexander Dubček began a period of reform, which gave way to outright civil protest, only ending when the USSR invaded the country in August. The Prague Spring ( Czech: Pražské jaro, Slovak: Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during Alexander Dubček (November 27 1921 – November 7 1992 was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia (1968-1969 famous for his attempt to reform The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 ^[12]
• In January, police used clubs on 400 anti-war protestors outside of a dinner for Secretary of State Rusk. ^[13]
• On January 30, 300 student protesters from the University of Warsaw and the National Theater School and were beaten with clubs by state arranged anti-protestors. University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski is the largest University in Poland, ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement as the second best Polish ^[14]
• On February 8, a civil rights protest in Orangeburg, South Carolina turns deadly with the death of 3 college students. Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City" is the principal city and County seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States ^[15]
• In February, protests by professors at the German University of Bonn demanded the resignation of the university’s president because of his involvement in the building of concentration camps during the war. The University of Bonn ( German: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany ^[16]
• In February, students from Harvard, Radcliff, and Boston University held a four-day hunger strike to protest the war. For similarly-named academic institutions see Education in Boston MA. ^[17]
• 10,000 West Berlin students held a sit-in against American involvement in Vietnam. West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially ^[18]
• Canada protested the war by mailing 5,000 copies of the paperback, Manual for Draft Age Immigrants to Canada to the United States. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[19]
• On March 8, the 1968 Polish political crisis began with students from the University of Warsaw who marched for student rights and were beaten with clubs. The Polish 1968 political crisis (also known in Polish as 'March 1968' or 'March events' Marzec 1968 or wydarzenia marcowe) describes the major Student and intellectual University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski is the largest University in Poland, ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement as the second best Polish The next day over two thousand students marched in protest of the police involvement on campus and were clubbed and arrested again. By March 11, the general public had joined the protest in violent confrontations with students and police in the streets. The government fought a propaganda campaign against the protestors, labeling them Zionists. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the The twenty days of protest ended when the state closed all of the universities and arrested more than a thousand students. Most Polish Jews left the country to avoid persecution by the government. The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a Millennium. Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual/group by another group ^[20]
• In March, students in North Carolina organized a sit-in at a local lunch counter that spread to 15 cities. ^[21]
• In March, Italian students closed the University of Rome for 12 days during an anti-war protest. The term University of Rome is generally reserved to one of the three public universities in Rome: University of Rome La Sapienza, founded in 1303 ^[22]
• On March 17 an anti-war demonstration in Grosvenor Square, London ended with 86 people injured and 200 demonstrators arrested. Grosvenor Square (pronounced "Grove-ner Square" is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[23]
• Japanese students protested the presence of the American military in Japan because of the Vietnam war. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia ^[24]
• In March, Great Britain students had turned violent in their anti-war protests physically attacking the British defense secretary, the secretary of state for education and the Home Secretary. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands ^[25]
• On March 6, 500 NYU students demonstrated against Dow Chemical because the company was the principal manufacturer of napalm, used by the U. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. The Dow Chemical Company () is an American Multinational corporation headquartered in Midland Michigan. Napalm is the name given to any of a number of Flammable Liquids used in Warfare often jellied Gasoline. S. military in Vietnam. ^[26]
• In April 4, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, sparking violent protests in more than 115 American cities, notably Louisville, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader The Louisville riots of 1968 refers to riots in Louisville Kentucky in May 1968 The Baltimore Riot of 1968 began two days after the murder of Dr The Washington DC riots of April 4 – 8, 1968 erupted with the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement leader ^[27]
• On April 23, students at Columbia University protested the school’s alledgedly racist policies, 3 school officials were taken hostage for 24 hours. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ^[28] This was just one of a number of Columbia University protests of 1968. The Columbia University protests of 1968 were among the many student demonstrations that occurred around the world in that year
• The admittance of the South African team brought the issue of apartheid to the 1968 Summer Olympics. The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Mexico City After more than 40 teams threatened to boycott the committee reconsidered again banned the South African team. A boycott is a form of Consumer activism involving the act of voluntarily abstaining from using buying or dealing with someone or some other organization as an expression of The Olympics were targeted as a venue to bring the Black Movement into public view. The entire summer was a series of escalating conflicts between Mexican students and the police. ^[29]
• In April, students from the University of Madrid shut down the university for 38 days as a result of a protest of a mass for Adolf Hitler^[30] and students protesting the military dictatorship were killed in Brazil. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately A military dictatorship is a Form of government wherein the political power resides with the Military; it is similar but not identical to a Stratocracy, ^[31]
• On April 20th Enoch Powell makes an anti-immigration speech that sparks demonstrations throughout England. Brigadier John Enoch Powell, MBE ( June 16 1912 &ndash February 8 1998) was a British Politician, His Rivers of Blood speech helped define immigration as a political issue and helped legitimize anti-immigration sentiment. The Rivers of Blood speech was a speech about Immigration and anti- Discrimination legislation in the United Kingdom made on 20 April, 1968 Nativism is an Opposition to immigration which originated in United States politics with roots in the country's historic role as a Melting pot. ^[32]
• The French May protests, started with French student protests over university reform and escalated into a month long protest. For other events in May 1968 see 1968. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The trade unions joined the protest resulting in a general strike. A general strike is a Strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city region or country ^[33]
• In August, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was disrupted when the new Youth International Party protested the war. The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The Youth International Party, whose members were commonly called Yippies, was a highly theatrical and Anti-authoritarian Political party established in Chicago’s mayor escalated the violence with excessive police presence and by ordering up the National Guard and the army to suppress the protests^[34]
• In September, the women’s liberation movement gained international recognition when it demonstrated at the annual Miss America Beauty pageant. Second-wave feminism refers to a period of Feminist activity which began during the 1960s and lasted through the late 1970s The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands The week-long protest and its disruption of the pageant gained the movement much needed attention in the press. ^[35]
• On October 2, after a summer of protests against the Mexican government and the occupation of the central campus of the National Autonomous University by the army, a student demonstration in Tlatelolco Square in Mexico City ended with police, paratroopers and paramilitary units firing on students, killing over a hundred persons. ^[36]
• In October, the Rodney Riots in Kingston, Jamaica were inspired when the Jamaican government of Hugh Shearer banned Guyanese university lecturer Dr. The Rodney Riots were Riots and civil disturbances in Kingston Jamaica in October 1968. Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country Hugh Lawson Shearer, ON, OJ, PC ( May 18, 1923 &ndash July 5, 2004) was the third Prime Minister of Jamaica Walter Rodney from returning to his teaching position at the University of the West Indies. Walter Rodney ( March 23, 1942 &ndash June 13, 1980) was a prominent Guyanese historian and political figure The University of the West Indies, also known as UWI, is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 16 English-speaking Countries and territories Rodney, a historian of Africa had been active in the Black power movement, and had been sharply critical of the middle class in many Caribbean countries. Black Power is a racially based Political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. Rodney was an avowed socialist who worked with the poor of Jamaica in an attempt to raise their political and cultural consciousness. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution

Movements that began in 1968

The environmental movement can trace its beginnings back to the protests of 1968. The environmental movement evolved from the anti-nuclear movement. France was particularly involved in environmental concerns. In 1968, the French Federation of Nature Protection Societies and the French branch of Friends of the Earth were formed and the French scientific community organized Survivre et Vivre (Survive and Live). Friends of the Earth (HK is not a member of Friends of the Earth International The Nordic countries were at the forefront of environmentalism. The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, In Sweden, the students protested against hydro-electric plans. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water In Denmark and the Netherlands environmental action groups protested about pollution and other environmental issues. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in This is a list of environmental issues that are due to human activity ^[37]

References

See also

• May 1968 in France
• Movement of 22 March
• Feminism in France
• Situationist International
• Springer Press
• Civil Rights Act of 1968
• Catonsville Nine
• Glenville Shootout
• Orangeburg massacre