Summary Of And Protest By Jeremi Suri

The 1960s are remembered as times of extensive change along with substantial political unrest. From groups like the SDS to the weatherman and the Red Army faction, young people, particularly students across the globe were organizing, forming coalitions, and agitating against perceived injustice at the hands of government. At the same time, a new set of young americans were galvanizing their peers in favor of a more conservative agenda. Focusing in on anti-communist action and expansive government infringing upon state’s rights, these young conservatives found themselves creating political changes that would last decades. They were the beginning of the new right. Often collective thought perceives radicalism and revolutionary as synonymous and leftist movements as singularly capable of being radical. Thus, the question becomes, what is the the difference between

In And Protest by Jeremi Suri, explains, “Both left and right felt that the rhetoric of capitalism and communism became harmfully exaggerated… a perception of false promises” (Suri,165). At the very least these two factions had two commonalities: mistrust and rage. Suri discusses how both the New Right and the New left used peaceful protesting as well as grassroots and “kitchen table activism”. These groups may seem intrinsically different, but their systems of management and dissent are startlingly similar.The Sharon statement and the Weather Underground manifesto the two are very clearly two sides of the same coin. Both fed up and disinterested in continuing as is, they took to organizing and boycotting the existing systems of power. The implication of such a claim is that there is further confusion layered in the 60s. If the SDS and YAF are so similar than why was there so much disagreement and does that mean current analysis of the time is