Vietnam War and Antiwar Movement

Vietnam War and Antiwar Movement

Introduction

“Takin' it to the streets” contains key documents from several resources, with concise and supportive openings by the editors that assist to recognize the collections and put them in situation. It must be an important source for non-scholars and researchers in a similar way. Most of the collections in “Takin' it to the streets” are from the counter-culture and leftist groups of the '60s, while there is a sign pro-Establishment part with entries from the likes of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. This paper discusses the Vietnam war and antiwar movement with reference to the book “Takin' it to the streets” by Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines, published in 2002.

Discussion

Of all the major developments of the cold war years, the antiwar movement may have had the greatest impact on the national consciousness. Effectively, it forced the U.S. government into a change in foreign policy. Peace activists had long been a part of the American political scene, but it was during the 1960s and early 1970s that their movement achieved an unparalleled influence on ordinary citizens and political leaders alike. In fact, the demonstrations for peace and clashes (often violent) between authorities and antiwar activists during this time were in themselves a sort of war, albeit one that was fought on the home front.

The antiwar movement was composed of many differing factions that were all united in their opposition to the Vietnam War. This opposition stemmed from a growing public disillusionment with decisions made and actions taken by the U.S. government that seemed to many to accomplish nothing other than losing American lives to a hopeless cause. The movement was also closely tied to the antinuclear movement, which was opposed to the creation of weapons of mass destruction that threatened global security. Earliest leaders of the movement included such prominent citizens as Dr. Benjamin Spock, the popular pediatrician and author, who was a member of the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE). In 1959, the Student Peace Union (SPU) was formed, sparking the initial wave of discontent on college campuses that would reach its apogee 10 years later.

According to the book, the goals and activities of the SPU (which disbanded in 1964) would quickly give way, however, to the better-known and more controversial Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), founded in 1960. The early mission of the SDS ...