Peace Movements
Students & Anti-war
1. Why did the protest movement begin and who started it
2. What were the kinds of demonstrations that took place
3. Where the protests successful
4. What other protest movements were started in the USA, Britain & Europe
Key Concepts
❖ Atom bomb - A new category of weapon: a bomb based on the explosion of
atoms into energy, capable of devastating damage. Developed in America in the
1940s.
❖ Draft (conscription) - Mandatory military enlistment.
❖ Disarmament - To dismantle nuclear weapons, reduce armaments and troops to
a peace level.
❖ Dissent - To differ in thought or opinion, refuse to conform, or accept an
established way of thinking or behaving.
❖ Civil disobedience - To refuse to comply with certain civil laws, usually as a
matter of moral conviction and by means of passive resistance.
❖ Environmentalists - People concerned about the
environment, especially the effect of nuclear testing on the
oceans.
❖ Pacifism - To oppose military ideals, war, or military
preparedness and support the idea that all civil and
international disputes be settled by arbitration.
❖ CND - Campaign for Nuclear Disarment
1. In what ways did the CND movement reflect broader social changes in
post-war Europe?
2. How did pacifist beliefs influence the anti-war and disarmament
movements?
3. To what extent can pacifism be effective in international conflicts?
4. Why did people believe nuclear disarmament was necessary for world
peace?
5. How successful were disarmament movements in limiting nuclear
weapons?
, Origins
- Occoured after WW2 - where there was a baby boom in the past war - this
generation would be knowen as baby boomers
- 1st generation to be well educated and benefiting from the expanding
university system
- Exposed to ideas of equality, freedom and democarcy
- Getting them to question the people in power and challenge
traditional values.
- Influenced by Civil Rights Movements, they began protesting against inequality
and conservatism in society.
1. How did the “baby boomer” generation’s upbringing and education make
them more likely to protest?
2. Why did exposure to democratic ideals lead to rebellion against authority?
3. How did the Civil Rights Movement influence student activism in other
parts of the world?
Issues protested
1. Parental Authoritity
- Rejection of conservative and conformist parental values.
- Criticism of materialism and moral hypocrisy in their parents’ generation.
2. University Authority
- Students wanted a say in the way universities were governed
- Called for academic freedom, student representation and an end to
authoritarian campus rules
3. Social Injustice
- Protest against racial segregation, discrimination and economic inequality
- Show solidarity with CR
4. Sexism
- Female students stood against the gender inequality within systems of
education, employment, and society.
1. How did the issues protested by students reflect wider global struggles for
equality and justice in the 1960s?
2. What do these protests reveal about generational change and attitudes
toward conformity?
Students & Anti-war
1. Why did the protest movement begin and who started it
2. What were the kinds of demonstrations that took place
3. Where the protests successful
4. What other protest movements were started in the USA, Britain & Europe
Key Concepts
❖ Atom bomb - A new category of weapon: a bomb based on the explosion of
atoms into energy, capable of devastating damage. Developed in America in the
1940s.
❖ Draft (conscription) - Mandatory military enlistment.
❖ Disarmament - To dismantle nuclear weapons, reduce armaments and troops to
a peace level.
❖ Dissent - To differ in thought or opinion, refuse to conform, or accept an
established way of thinking or behaving.
❖ Civil disobedience - To refuse to comply with certain civil laws, usually as a
matter of moral conviction and by means of passive resistance.
❖ Environmentalists - People concerned about the
environment, especially the effect of nuclear testing on the
oceans.
❖ Pacifism - To oppose military ideals, war, or military
preparedness and support the idea that all civil and
international disputes be settled by arbitration.
❖ CND - Campaign for Nuclear Disarment
1. In what ways did the CND movement reflect broader social changes in
post-war Europe?
2. How did pacifist beliefs influence the anti-war and disarmament
movements?
3. To what extent can pacifism be effective in international conflicts?
4. Why did people believe nuclear disarmament was necessary for world
peace?
5. How successful were disarmament movements in limiting nuclear
weapons?
, Origins
- Occoured after WW2 - where there was a baby boom in the past war - this
generation would be knowen as baby boomers
- 1st generation to be well educated and benefiting from the expanding
university system
- Exposed to ideas of equality, freedom and democarcy
- Getting them to question the people in power and challenge
traditional values.
- Influenced by Civil Rights Movements, they began protesting against inequality
and conservatism in society.
1. How did the “baby boomer” generation’s upbringing and education make
them more likely to protest?
2. Why did exposure to democratic ideals lead to rebellion against authority?
3. How did the Civil Rights Movement influence student activism in other
parts of the world?
Issues protested
1. Parental Authoritity
- Rejection of conservative and conformist parental values.
- Criticism of materialism and moral hypocrisy in their parents’ generation.
2. University Authority
- Students wanted a say in the way universities were governed
- Called for academic freedom, student representation and an end to
authoritarian campus rules
3. Social Injustice
- Protest against racial segregation, discrimination and economic inequality
- Show solidarity with CR
4. Sexism
- Female students stood against the gender inequality within systems of
education, employment, and society.
1. How did the issues protested by students reflect wider global struggles for
equality and justice in the 1960s?
2. What do these protests reveal about generational change and attitudes
toward conformity?
