The Night of Barricades and widespread student protests occurred in May 1968 in which country?

• A. France
• B. Czechoslovakia
• C. United States
• D. Mexico

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the 1968 wave of social and political upheaval centered in France, where student protests in May escalated into a nationwide movement. The Night of the Barricades refers to a night in Paris when streets filled with improvised barricades as students clashed with police, signaling a broader challenge to authority. The protests quickly drew in workers, leading to massive strikes that paralyzed the country and pressured President de Gaulle. This sequence—student unrest growing into a countrywide strike movement—belongs to France in May 1968, making it the correct context.

Czechoslovakia had its own major reform push earlier that year (Prague Spring), Mexico experienced significant student protests later in 1968, and the United States faced antiwar protests as well, but the specific event described—the Night of the Barricades in May 1968—is uniquely associated with France.