This year is just full of political anniversaries.

The one most my age will identify with is the 40th anniversary of the events of spring and summer 1968: the period of the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the Paris riots and the Prague Spring. In the backdrop: the Vietnam War and the Biafran bid for independence. Heady stuff, not likely to be repeated for a while.

At least as important is the 50th anniversary of Charles deGaulle's arrival to power in France in May 1958. It was about this I was privileged in the early 1970s to have spoken with my French professor, Dr. Charles "D-minus" Bentley.

An Austrian, he was a hero of the Second World War and had lost his family in the Holocaust. Bentley was not his real name.

I had the opportunity to speak with him because my French marks were horrible. (Absence was a factor.) Often on the way to work during our interviews, I was usually in uniform, the old British style. It sparked memories: the old professor would talk of the tough times for French democracy.

In 1958, France was dealing with a Muslim secessionist campaign in Algeria, part of France. The European population of Algeria was getting more radical. Things came to a head in May, 1958, when the flighty Fourth Republic had no government. The Algiers crowd went wild, took over government buildings and the army helped set up committees of public safety. Things deteriorated to the point paratroops took over Corsica, ready to land in France. People expected an invasion any time.

DeGaulle took his time in agreeing to become prime minister, but saved the day. He was elected president and began to plot France's path to greatness - not necessarily tied to Algeria. This sparked a further revolt by elements of the army in Algeria in April, 1961. Again, people in France expected invasion by rebellious paratroopers.

D-minus would painfully speak of these events, years afterwards, saying in disbelief, "in France! In France!"

At my age, used to the benefits of democracy, my shock was nowhere near Dr. Bentley's. I suppose I was sorry to have missed it all.

The French experience was lost on a number of people. The Americans look at the televised Richard Nixon/ John F. Kennedy debate of 1960 as the first major example of the new media's effect on public opinion. DeGaulle's speech to France January 29, 1960, in response to a mob of radical settlers taking over Algiers that month, "Barricades week;" predates this. Appearing in his old brigadier's uniform, he dramatically outlined what had to be done to bring France into the modern era. In his second speech April 23, 1961, during the Algiers putsch, deGaulle asked, "Francaises, Francais! Aidez-moi!" He ordered everyone to ensure the mainland was defended. The military was not to follow the orders of four rebellious former generals.

D-minus would go over the "Francaises, Francais! Aidez-moi!" as if it has been uttered the day before. Considering what he had invested in democracy, it's easy to see why.

As important, this is also the 250th anniversary of the seeds of democratic government in Nova Scotia. A long, hard, and oft brutal crawl from then to what we have now. What is more important is bringing our democracy to young people in its D250 program, assisted by former premiers John Hamm and Russell MacLellan.

This program should go a long way to ensure young students understand the value of what we have.