July 30, 2014: 

Student Activism Part 1:  France, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Indonesia & Chile

20^th century student activist movements all differed in terms of cause or subject, size, and success.  Both public and private school students of all races, socio-economic backgrounds, and political perspectives were drawn into activism.

Often a student movement turns violent because of action against a group, corruption in the country or failure to provide an essential personal interest such affordable education for the students, low paying jobs or living in debt. In the Quebec Student Movement, which begun because there was an increase of tuition of 75%, students were outraged because many could not extend their education and many feared debt or no money at all. With this, students went out to the streets and protested against their government. Other more recent movements include student participation in demonstrations again globalization or other immediate concerns.   Such involvement has been criticized.  For example the late Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, talked about the crisis of the "pure activist" who operates without critical reflection:  "The leaders [should not] treat the oppressed as mere activists to be denied the opportunity of reflection and allowed merely the illusion of acting, whereas in fact they would continue to be manipulated - and in this case by the presumed foes of the manipulation."  Freire believed that by eliminating the reflective process from activism, organizers may actually perpetuate the very problems they purport to address.