Discussion Questions
September 26, 2012

1. 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...."?
2. 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?
3. Who were the Beats, in terms of values, etc.?  Why would many Americans perceive them as a threat?
4. 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?
5. Given what you saw in "Seeds of the Sixties", in "Atomic Cafe" and read in "Mental Hygiene", what do you think the effect on America's youth would have been?
   
   Questions for “Seeds of the Sixties”

   What were the overriding characteristics (ie behaviour, expectations, etc.) during the 1950s for:

   a.                  Youth

   b.                  women (expectations and limitations) 

   c.                   family 

   d.                  blacks 

   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 was the contemporary perception of America in the 1950s?

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