“Fighting the Marxist invasion is a duty”

Founded in reaction to the events of 1968, the Union nationale inter-universitaire (UNI, Inter-university Union) sought to combat the “Marxist subversion” that was allegedly undermining the country. To do so, it deployed an anti-subversion policy that increased the population’s anxiety. The university association was very concerned about the fate of young people, who were considered more susceptible to influence. It defended conservative values and believed that youth were corrupted by decadent Marxist ideals. To protect the future of the nation, the UNI demonized communist and leftist movements, contributing to the Gaullist fabrication of an enemy from within, without realizing how out of step it was with the society in which it was embedded.