theme 2 - reactions to counter culture Flashcards
(11 cards)
why was there a rise in the silent majority?
people grew exasperated with the events of the 60s that suggested the nation was in a crisis
how did the Tet Offensive lead to a rise in the silent majority?
didn’t want to lose the war but hoped America could achieve ‘peace and honour’
agreed with Nixon’s criticisms of the students at Kent State, blaming them for what occurred
How did the assassinations of King and Kennedy lead to a rise in the silent majority?
assassinations provoked major riots in over 100 cities
silent majority were tired and feared the division
how did the Democratic National Convention lead to a rise in the silent majority?
media revealed students having sex in public and provoking the police
silent majority watched in horror
polls revealed 56% approved of police actions
what events helped Nixon gain support?
he was associated with peace and prosperity, which appealed to the silent majority
promised to bring peace and honour in Vietnam
How did Nixon stop protests?
deprived radical students of federal scholarships and loans
secretly monitored disruptive groups
kept protesters busy and broke with court actions
How did Nixon attack Johnson’s Great Society?
shrank the OEO, closed 59 Job Corps centres, cut federal housing programmes
vetoed 1971 Child Development Act
aimed to slow school desegregation by appointed conservative Supreme Court justices
What happened at the 1972 election?
Nixon won a landslide victory due to increased support from the silent majority
- 60.7% of popular vote
how did the media help gain support for Nixon?
promoted conservative values
- John Wayne’s movie ‘The Green Berets’ (1968)
how did the media portray the events in Vietnam?
1968: Tet Offensive - media had been supportive at first but this made the public aware of a credibility gap
1968: My Lai Massacre - those who weren’t antiwar simply felt that was how war was - strengthened pre-existing attitudes
1971: Pentagon Papers revealed the public had been misled in the escalation of US involvement
how successful was Nixon in restoring peace?
managed to decrease the number of protests
however, he also contributed to polarisation of American society and politics
