The Growth of Opposition
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.3.14
TV and Media Coverage of the War
Reasons for the growth of opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
General opposition
- General opposition to the war could be for several reasons, for example:
- Events in Vietnam like the Tet Offensive.
- Bombing Cambodia.
- The high death toll affecting family members.
- Increased taxes to pay for the war.
The Civil Rights movement
- The Civil Rights movement also played a part, with leaders of the movement like Martin Luther King, Mohammed Ali and the Black Panthers all voicing opposition to fighting for America abroad when they faced racism at home.
TV and media coverage
- The Vietnam War was the first televised war, which allowed Americans to watch the war from home.
- They also saw reports on anti-war protests.
Lies
- They started to realise that the government was not telling the whole truth about the war, and began to lose faith.
- For example when the government claimed victory in the Tet Offensive but CBS reporter Walter Cronkite showed the reality of the stalemate on TV.
The Student Movement
Reasons for the growth of opposition to US involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
Student protests
- Students used boycotts, demonstrations, strikes and marches to protest their opposition to the war.
- Over time, they became bigger, more organised and more radical and violent.
Media coverage
- Despite only representing a minority of the 8.5 million students, the protestors gained a lot of media coverage, partially because they were white middle-class students who rejected the traditional values of their parent’s generation.
Students for a Democratic Society
- Students for a Democratic Society had 3,000 members in 80 campuses by 1965.
- They were quite radical in their political views and actively supported the communists and North Vietnam.
Test yourself on The Growth of Opposition
Who voiced opposition to fighting for America when they faced racism at home?
Which student society had 3,000 members in 80 campuses by 1965?