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Protest Movements

The Student Movement

Why did the Student Movement emerge?
1) The influence of the campaign for civil rights
2) The death of JFK and the situation in Vietnam destroyed the optimism of the early 1960’s
3) These events led to students seeing society as corrupt
4) The influence of pop music such as Bob Dylan whose lyrics covered nuclear war, racism and the hypocrisy of war
5) Influence of student unrest around the world - in 1968 demonstrations in Paris were so serious that they almost overthrew the French government

The Key Features:
1) SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) - one of the first movements to emerge in the US
- formed groups in 50 universities
- it’s anti-Vietnam stance led to increased support for it after LBJ announced increased bombing raids in N. Vietnam in 1965
- by the end of 1965 - SDS had 10,000 members in 150 colleges and universities.
2) Anti - War marches - April 1965 - 20,000 students marched against the Vietnam war in Washington
- Between January and June 1968 - 40,000 students at over 100 colleges staged protests.
3) Mainly peaceful protests but some violence - Kent State University, Ohio - 1970 - students protest against Nixon’s decision to bomb Cambodia
Guardsmen were called to disperse 600 students. Some students refused to disperse this led to tear gas being used. The Students still refused this led to shots being fired and 4 students were killed and 11 injured.

Significance of the Student Protests:
1) This did not directly end the war but it did lead to a change in policy
2) The majority of students were middle class - for so many to oppose the government in time of war was previously unheard of.

Hippies / Flower power - Key features:
Converged in San Fran Cisco
Wore long hair, colourful clothes. Took drugs such as LSD and Marijuana
Pop groups were Doors and Grateful Dead
Their slogan was Make Love Not War
Their famous festival was Woodstock