1968 The Dawning of the “Age of Aquarius”?

THE TET OFFENSIVE January

Vietnamese New Year North Vietnamese attacked over 100 South Vietnamese and American villages and military bases Heavy American casualties

Changes American attitudes towards the war

ASSASSINATION OF REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. April

American Civil Rights Movement MLK killed after giving a speech to striking sanitation workers in Alabama “I have been to the mountaintop” Leads to riots in most major American cities

UNIVERSITY PROTESTS

Beginning in the United States, university students began to protest: – The war in Vietnam – The irrelevance of their courses and the lack of professors who could actually teach – Various social problems (civil rights, freedom of speech, feminism)

FRANCE University Students and Workers Protest

French university students in Nanterre outside Paris protest what they perceive as an inferior education By Spring the protests have spread to the Sorbonne Student protestors marching in Paris are attacked by the police

Workers join the protest 9 million go on strike for better wages and inclusion in decision-making President de Gaulle sends in tanks By June, the demands of the workers are met and the strikes end

President de Gaulle resigned 10 months later

“PRAGUE SPRING”

Fall, 1967 Alexander Dubcek chosen as head of Czech Communist Party He called for more social and political openness – Ends censorship of press – Secret ballot for elections – Allows political parties other than the Communist Party Czechs began to hope for a new type of communism – “socialism with a human face”

Alexander Dubcek

Problem: How to allow more freedom without causing Soviet interference ? The openness in Czechoslovakia threatened neighboring Communist governments who did not want to see revolutions on their own nations

Dubcek’s refusal to attend a Communist Party convention in Moscow was the excuse needed for invasion Soviet and Polish troops invaded in August, 1968 Czech citizens peacefully resisted

The Soviets won, removing Dubcek and other reformers from power

Czech resistance went underground but it continued until the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1989

RFK ASSASSINATED June

The war in Vietnam led President Johnson to decide not to run for re-election In April Senator Kennedy entered the race He was against the war and supported the Civil Rights Movement and Johnson's “Great Society”

RFK gained the support of young Americans, Catholics, Blacks, Hispanics After winning the California Primary on June 5, it seemed almost certain he would win the Democratic nomination

Shortly after winning the California Primary, Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan – the reasons were never disclosed Kennedy died the next day

If Kennedy had lived, he would almost certainly have been the Democratic candidate for president. There would have been no student riots at the 1968 Democratic convention Nixon possibly would not have been elected president

AUTHORITARIAN CRACKDOWNS

Soviet Union “Brezhnev Doctrine” – the Soviet Union has the right to intervene in satellite nations when communism/socialism is threatened “The shock of our tanks crushing the Prague Spring... convinced us that the Soviet colossus was invincible.” said one Russian liberal Large numbers of Eastern European liberals, artists, Jews and intellectuals defect to the West

United States Election of Richard Nixon as president Americans decided that peace and increased authority at home was important Nixon will increase number of troops sent to Vietnam and began the bombing of Cambodia which led to the Kent State demonstrations and killings in 1970

SOCIAL CHANGES

The Summer Olympics in Mexico City Vera Caslavska Czech Gymnast – best in the word at the time Lowers her head during the Soviet National Anthem as protest over their invasion of her homeland

John Carlos and Tommie Smith First and third places in 200 metre run Give the Black Power Salute while the U.S. National Anthem is being played

The Catholic Church Vatican II ended in 1965 Most Catholics are just beginning to experience the changes Many Catholics are happy; but others are angry and some leave the Church Vatican II

Pope Paul VI issues the encyclical Humanae Vitae = on Human Life Condemns the use of artificial contraception, including the birth control pill Leads to protests within the Church This is the first time that a Church teaching has been so widely ignored by so many Catholics

Art and Music The art of Andy Warhol

Bob Dylan The Mamas and the Papas The Rolling Stones

The Beatles

The Rock Musical “Hair” Debutes on Broadway in 1968 The first rock musical Immensly popular Hit songs: – Hair – Age of Aquarius – Let the Son Shine – Easy To Be Hard

Apollo 8 Dec. 21 launch On Christmas Eve, while circling the moon, Commander Lovell read: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth... And God said, “Let there be light and there was light. And God made the two great lights... He made the stars also “

What was the overall importance of 1968, both politically and culturally?