The French university system is in crisis. After its dismantlement during the French revolution, its rebirth was progressive under the third republic (1871-1945). But it was only after 1968 that the current universities developed, with an autonomy that is strictly supervised by the state. Since 1986 all experiments at modernizing the management of universities have failed. A research crisis in 2004, followed by another one in the winter of 2006, demonstrated an urgent need to set up necessary reform. Several university leaders and politicians urged it. The law of August 2007 is a first step towards achieving these hopes. (Contains 9 footnotes.)