- What does Schrecker mean when she argues that the main impact of
McCarthyism ( and by extrapolation the anti-communist crusade generally)
"...may well have been in what did not happen rather than what
did...."?
- How do we explain McCarthyism and the anti-communist crusade generally
in terms of national participation? Why did Americans subscribe to
this? Why did they accept it and permit it to happen?
- Who were the Beats, in terms of values, etc.? Why would some
Americans perceive them as a threat?
- How did Americans reconcile the apparent/obvious restrictions of
their liberties on one hand and the global fight for freedom (ie
anti-communism) on the other? What were the justifications used to
support restrictive policies in education, and in the government?
- Given what you saw in "Seeds of the Sixties", in "Atomic
Cafe" and read in "Mental Hygiene", what do you think the
effect of the Cold War on America's youth would have been?
Questions for
“Seeds of the Sixties”
(September 24th)
-
What was
the “generation gap” based on? (ie parents’ views vs. childrens’ views)
-
In the
1950s (and 1960s) who rebelled? Why? How did society react to them? How was
rebellion expressed?
-
What are
the “seeds” of the sixties? (ie the major factors which had an impact on the
1960s, such as communism, etc.)
-
What were
the “rules” of the sixties which guided behaviour?
-
What
were the most important characteristics (ie behaviour, expectations,
limitations, etc.) during the 1950s for a) youth; b) women; c) family; d)
blacks?
-
What was
the contemporary perception of America in the 1950s?