The Effects of the 1960s Political Generation on Former Left- and Right-Wing Youth Activist Leaders

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the 1960s political generation on former leaders of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and right-wing Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) in the 1980s. The principal issue under investigation is whether the consequences of generational participation have been different for SDS and YAF leaders and for women leaders from both groups when compared to men. According to generational theory, the 1960s political generation should have a lasting effect on its participants. However, alternative explanations that emphasize the importance of aging and period effects indicate that former activist leaders' lives and politics would change over time, with little significance attached to their youthful 1960s activist experiences. Based on life-history interviews in 1988 with 13 former SDS leaders and 11 YAF leaders, the findings of this study clearly suggest that generational effects have a stronger influence on the lives and politics of both the left- and right-wing leaders than do aging or period effects. Some modifications occur in political thinking and style, but the changing times have little impact on the leaders' adult lives. Several gender differences are identified in this study as well.