Word: france
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...joined the students. It seemed, during those weeks of the barricades, that De Gaulle might be deposed while absent from the country. In settling the insurrection and the general strike, the government had to accept sizable wage increases; all of this had caused panic among the middle classes, and francs were speedily converted to gold or other currencies-most often West German marks. The fabled gold reserves were depleted in defending the franc...
...campaign. Finance Minister François-Xavier Ortoli promised no new taxes this year. Defense Minister Pierre Messmer announced that the government was considering lowering compulsory military service from 16 months to twelve. The Ministry of Interior prepared 29 million pamphlets explaining the referendum-one for every voter in France. Applying what has always before been the clinching argument, Minister of State Roger Frey drew a frightening picture of a France without De Gaulle: "To vote no or to abstain is to vote for the Communist Party, to compromise France's economic recovery, and to sabotage the defense...
...There are indeed some indications that the French are tiring of De Gaulle. In the eleventh year of his Fifth Republic, a new slogan is being scrawled on walls and sidewalks in Paris: "Dix ans, ça suffit"-"Ten years, that's enough." There are widespread worries about France's weak economic position and the continued threat of the devaluation of the franc. Still, on evidence of the past record, it would be unwise tc bet against Charles de Gaulle until the last non has been counted...
...settle for a standoff. Now he must somehow achieve a labor settlement that will be noninflationary, yet generous enough to head off upheavals by workers. The government, aware that any wage boosts of more than 6% a year would greatly aggravate inflation and almost certainly force the franc's devaluation, has offered workers in nationalized industries only 4%. The unions are holding out for 10% or more. De Gaulle's immediate problem is that he will either have to accept devaluation or pursue the kind of restrictive policies that could bring on a recession...
...last week, is the task of "restoring the confidence" of the French people in their government. Said L'Aurore: "Rarely have Frenchmen in all social categories demonstrated such dissatisfaction with the way in which the government is managing the nation's affairs." Until confidence is restored, the franc-and France-will continue to be unstable...