"A definitive, social, cultural, and historical analysis of the cycle of protest during the Vietnam era."—Booklist
"An American Ordeal appears at a time when there is a growing revival of interest in the Vietnam War—without, however, the existence of any solid study of opposition to that war. It provides a fair—minded, objective appraisal, one that will stand the test of time. Written by two of the foremost analysts of the American peace movement, this book should have considerable appeal to scholars, to students, and to the general public."—Lawrence Wittner, author of Rebels Against War
Description
An American Ordeal is the first comprehensive interpretive history of the antiwar movement in the United States throughout the Vietnam era. Beginning with the rise of a liberal peace movement against atmospheric nuclear testing from 1955 to 1963, the authors describe the emergence of radical pacifists and politically motivated groups who eventually created a diverse coalition against the Vietnam War. They examine how extremist elements came to dominate the movement in the late 1960s, to be supplanted by a larger consensus of liberal and pacifist groups in the early 1970s.
Table of Contents
Part One: The Reconstruction of the Peace Movement, 1955-1963
1. Regenerating Concern
2. Coalescing Organization
3. Making a Transition
Part Two: The Construction of an Antiwar Movement,1963-1965
4. Crystalizing Dissent
5. Consolidating Opposition
Part Three: The Contest for the Center, 1966-1970
6. Raising the Stakes
7. Sharing the Crisis
8. Turning a Corner
9. Redrawing the Lines
Part Four: Toe War and the American Way, 1970-1975
10. Persisting in Withdrawal
11. Normalizing Dissent
12. Closing the Circle
Reflections
The Antiwar Movement and America
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Charles DeBenedetti is the author of Origins of the Modem American Peace Movement, 1915-1929 and The Peace Reform in American History, and editor of Peace Heroes in Twentieth-Century America.
Series: Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution
6 x 9, 512 pages, 39 black and white illustrations
March 1990