The ‘New Left’ Movement Of The Sixties

 Introduction

I. Context

II.Emergence of The New Left

III.New Left VS. Other Currents

IV.Aims, Methods and Outcomes

1.Aims

2.Methods

3.Outcomes

 Conclusion

Introduction

 The 1960’s were marked by a tendency toward radicalism, liberation, democracy, civil
rights,direct action, participatory democracy and youth involvement etc.

 These values were adopted by political and intellectual activists who usually belong to the
New left and youth movement.

 “New Left” is a radical leftist political movement originating especially among students and it
was active during the 60s and 70s.It is concerned especially with anti war , anti-nuclear and
social issues.

I.Context

 The American New Left is actually part of an international political tendency.

 Despite differences in form, New Left movements in US, West Europe, ana Japan share
common concerns: rejection of both capitalism and bureaucratic communism and
imperialism.

 The international scene was marked by High tension due to series of assasination (exp John
F.Kennedy and Martin Luther king) as well as international conflicts mainly the vitnam war
and the US-USSR tense relation.

II. The Emergence of The New Left

 The term “New Left” was first used By C.Wright Mills in His « Letter to The New Left »(1960).

 In His Letter Mills argues for a new leftist ideology in which intellectuals are the leaders are
the political figures.
  The “New Left” creation was officially announced in 1962 Through Tom Hayden Draft of
SDS(students of democratic society) Manifesto, so-called The Port Huron Statement.

 Hayden claims that “New Left” is “radically new democratic political movement in the united
states that rejected hierarchy and bureaucracy”

 SDS is the most important organization connected to New Left.

III. New Left and Other Currents

 « New Left » Vs Marxism:

 Although New Leftist in 6Os felt that Marxism has been corrupted but they still share the
main concerns: justice, class, equality…

 « New Left » Vs. Old Left (real left):

 Unlike New Left, Old Left put less emphasis on social issues such as abortion, drugs,
femmenism, gay rights and gender issue?

 It rather focused on Labour unionization and question of social class in the west.

IV. Aims, Methods, and outcomes

1. Aims:

 Herbert Marcuse, The father of The New Left, argues that in that time radical change was an
urgent necessity.

 Mills claims that their should be a movement from old left ideas into the counter-culture
ideology of acceptance of one’s self.

 Racial and social justice was a requirement as well as Less agressive foreign policy (the
vitenam war

 Staughton Lynd states that « the members of the new left condemn existing American
society as ‘corporate liberalism’ and seek to replace it with participatory democracy.

 Minor aims:

 Granting students the right of speech.

 Academic freedom.

2.Methods:

 The techniques used by the new left activists was in general peaceful protest

Example: They stick flowers into the soldiers guns

To express protest against the Vitenam war.

 This practice was called non-violent civil disobediance : Inspired from Ghandi’s Philosophy.
3. Outcomes:

 The freedoms upon campus were granted as the size of the SDS grew significantly.

 With peaceful protest they avoided the government’s use of force.

 In 1968 more than 200 Major demonstration took place mostly in college and universities

 The fighting for peace in vitenam was not that successful.

 The movement was successful to some extent but the greed to change all the world was
unrealistic.

Conclusion

 The New Left Movement aimed To realize a radical change in home and foreign policy
through contestation and peceful protest .

However Its success is limited because of its unrealistic tendency , which led to its collapse at the
end.

Staughton Lynd : « the New Left assessment of american reality was in the sense , not too negative
but too hopeful »

 Thus, The spirit of the Movement is essentially youth spirit.

Work Cited

Irwin Unger & Debi Unger, The Times were a changin’the sixties reader:Three rivers Press,1998
PRINT

Staughton Lynd. ‘the New Left’.The annabals of American Academy of political ans social
journal(1969).Sage Journals.

Herbert Marcuse. ‘the Failure of The New Left?’.2001

John McMillian. You Didn’t Have to Be their:Reveziting the New Left Consensus.