At that time, half a century ago, the boys had to do their national service, for the most part a twelve-month military service in the barracks: two months of classes (learning period) and ten months of actual service. . It was not until 1996 that Jacques Chirac, president, decided to professionalize the armed forces and put an end to compulsory service.
In the archives of the “Obs”
Which world, which French people, which society told “Le Nouvel Observateur” (which became “L’Obs” in 2014) half a century ago? Every weekend, we offer you an article, interview, report, portrait or letter from readers drawn from our archives.
In 1973, Michel Debré – the former Prime Minister of De Gaulle was then Minister of National Defense – promoted a law reforming military service, which abolished the deferment for studies beyond 21 years. In a few weeks, the high schools were on fire (the article quotes in particular a young spokesperson for the Revolutionary Communist League, Michel Field – the future media man was then in hypokhâgne at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris), and as described in the text that we are republishing below, the many demonstrators criticized military service in itself, independently of the trigger which was the repeal reprieves. “To waste a year of my life putting up with a few stupid warrant officers or emptying garbage cans when the garbage collectors try to get a raise (recruits are sometimes employed to replace d
This article is for subscribers only. To read more, take advantage of our non-binding offers!
OR
Google Exclusive: 6.99€/month
By choosing this promotional subscription path, you accept the deposit of an analysis cookie by Google.
