From revolution to apathy ? American student activism in the 1970s

Abstract

The contrast between the widespread activism of the 1960s and the relative calm of the 1970s in the American universities is dramatic. In general, American students are not now politically active, although there have been a small number of demonstrations. The political traditions of American students are important to understand in order to analyze the current situation. The first period of widespread activism was during the 1930s, with the decade of the 1950s returning to political calm. The sixties was the zenith of American student activism, and the impact of the counter culture and of some of the political struggles of this period continues to influence the campus. The lack of a clearly threatening foreign policy issue, economic problems, disillusionment with past politics and other factors have all contributed to the political quiet of the seventies. The paper concludes with a description of current campus trends.