La chienlit c’est lui ! De Gaulle ante mayo de 1968

Abstract

For the leaders of the May ‘68 revolt in Paris, Charles de Gaulle became the embodiment of the politics they hoped to overthrow. The complete failure of his televised address to the nation on May 24 seemed to ratify his downfall, and even the potential demise of the Fifth Republic he had brought into existence. His actions in the following days, until May 30, completely turned the situation around: the political deadlock was loosened, the social crisis was defused, and student unrest began to die out. The results of the general election he called the following June gave to his party the greatest margin of majority in its history. During this process, however, some events are still mysterious and a source of debate among historians. Of these, the best-known was his lightning trip to the French military base in Baden-Baden (Germany) on May 29. We analyze the main interpretations provided to explain what happened.