Leuven '68

Johan Van Schaeren België 2018 80 min.

In "Leuven '68" we look back at the turbulent years between 1966 and 1968, during which a real student revolt shook the country’s foundations.

The revolt, a harbinger of a large wave of student revolutions worldwide, is both a reaction against the rigid, authoritarian policy of the bishops and a struggle for an autonomous Dutch speaking university in Flanders. It is both a struggle for emancipation, participation and democratization and a fierce language battle. "Leuven '68" is a rare moment in history where the left, center and right revolted together. The revolt has major consequences: the government falls, the unitary political parties split into French-speaking and Dutch-speaking parties and the largest university in the country splits. The long-term effects are even more far-reaching: in '68 a new generation stands up against the older ones. They are fed up with the old rulers, bourgeoisie and establishment, and they turn down the idea of power that is based on nothing much. The "soixanthuitards" become a well-known group. "Leuven '68" is the end of an era and is in many ways a milestone and a fault line in the history of Belgium.