Just a few days ago, on May 20, Quebecers nostalgically commemorated what might be called the 40th anniversary of their strange defeat, that of the lost 1980 referendum on independence. The sovereignists obtained a disappointing 40% there. It was a political ideal which then aborted, that of free Quebec, to use General de Gaulle's formula. Intellectually revived in the 1920s, after an eclipse of a few decades, the fight for independence had imposed itself at the heart of the quiet revolution of the 1960s, and represented the natural outlet for Quebec adventure.
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Without independence, the history of Quebec seemed suddenly disoriented. On the evening of the defeat, René Lévesque, the historic head of the sovereignist camp, tried to keep the future open by saying: "If I understood you correctly, you are telling me, next time."
We now know the catastrophic consequences of this defeat. Canada,
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