Roots of the Anti‐Vietnam war movement

Abstract

The anti‐war movement of the 1960s against the Vietnam war has its roots in the collective experiences of the two world wars and the Great Depression. Parents of the worst period of scarcity in U.S. history gave birth to children raised during the most affluent age the country has ever known. Two world wars opened the doors of employment for blacks and women only to have those doors close shortly thereafter. Disillusionment over the results of the two wars brought a re‐examination of American values. Hiroshima and the Holocaust produced bomb scares and an arms race along with serious questions of Jim Crowism. Colonialism was doomed by World War II and African‐Americans were inspired to fight for their liberation also. The Baby Boom lead to megaversities, and alienating bureaucracies became insensitive to student needs. The Cold War and red scares at the end of both world wars gave birth to new questions about democracy and civil liberties. The wars and depression spawned a “beat generation” refusing to conform to mainstream American values. This “beat generation” in turn lead to a counterculture of hippies. Folk and rock music protested the status quo. Materialism was called into question. The anti‐war movement became part of a protest against traditional American values and attitudes.

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