La jeunesse americaine et la guerre du vietnam - ampleur et impact de la contestation dans les annees 60
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Abstract EN:
THE INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG AMERICANS IN THE 60S, THEIR BECOMING AWAKENED TO SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTS, THE IMPORTANT PART OF THE MEDIA IN THEIR LIFE AND SPECIALLY THEIR BEING THE ONES THREATENED BY THE DRAFT ACCOUNT FOR A CLOSE STUDY OF THEIR REACTIONS WHEN FACING THE VIETNAM WAR. THE YOUNG CIVILIANS WERE THE FIRST TO REACT AGAINST IT, AS EARLY AS 1963, BUT EFFECTIVE PROTEST WAS MORE SPECIALLY RAISED - UNTIL THE LATE 60S - BY A MINORITY OF MIDDLE-CLASS STUDENTS. IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE LATTER TO WIN OVER THE WORKING- CLASS YOUTH - THOUGH THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE DRAFTED - BECAUSE OF THEIR STRONG PATRIOTISM AND PREJUDICES. THAT SOCIAL ORIGIN OF PROTEST GAVE IT PARTICULAR FEATURES, SUCH AS MORALISM, NONVIOLENCE (AT FIRST) A LACK OF ORGANIZATION AND LEADERS AND A CERTAIN PROPEN- SITY TO THEATRICAL AND SYMBOLIC ACTIONS. . . ALL THAT ACCOUNTED FOR BOTH THE strength AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE MOVEMENT. A CHRONOLOGICAL SURVEY OF EVENTS FROM 1963 TO 1970 WITH, FOR SOME OF THEM, A DEEPER STUDY, SHOWS THE IMPORTANT PART PLAYED BY YOUTH IN THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT IN SPITE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF THOSE WHO PROTESTED EFFECTIVELY. IT ALSO HELPS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE EVOLUTION OF YOUNG AMERICANS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE WAR WAS AFFECTED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S REACTIONS, PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA-REPORTS. ROUGHLY SPEAKING, MODERATE STYLE PROTEST (WITHOUT ANY VIOLENCE OR CIVIL DISOBE- DIENCE) GOT MORE SUPPORT AND THE ANTI-DRAFT ISSUE - FOR MORE OR LESS SELFISH REASONS - REMAINED THE MOST POPULAR. THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT WAS HELPED BY OTHER PROTESTS CONCERNING MORE SPECIALLY CAMPUS UNREST AND RACIAL MATTERS, BUT IN ITS TURN, IT BROUGHT THEM ORGANIZATION, TACTICS AND CONTINUITY. THEIR HAVING LIVED THROUGH SUCH EVENTS - WHETHER AS DEMONSTRATORS OR NOT-DEEPLY AFFECTED THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE AS THEY WERE GROWING UP IN THE 70S AND INFLUENCED THE OPINIONS THEY WERE ASKED TO GIVE ON FOREIGN POLICY AND ON THE POLITICAL AND ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
Abstract FR:
L'importance demographique des jeunes americains de cette decennie, leur eveil aux realites socio-politiques, le role que jouaient les media dans leur vie et surtout le fait qu'ils etaient les premiers menaces par la conscription justifient une etude plus particuliere de leur attitude face a l'engagement americain au vietnam. Si les jeunes civils furent les premiers a reagir, des 1963, la contestation active resta - jusque tard dans la decennie - le fait d'une minorite d'etudiants des classes moyennes. Ces derniers rallierent difficilement les jeunes de la classe ouvriere - pourtant davantage touches par le recrutement - tant leur patriotisme et leurs prejuges etaient forts. Une telle localisation sociale de la contestation lui donna certaines caracteristiques : moralisme, non-violence (au debut), absence d'organisation et de leader, attirance pour l'aspect theatral et symbolique. . . Qui firent a la fois la force et la faiblesse du mouvement. Une chronologie des evenements de 1963 a 1970 avec, pour certains, une analyse plus approfondie, montre que le role des jeunes dans le mouvement anti-guerre fut impor- tant en depit du nombre relativement petit des participants actifs. Elle permet aus- si de comprendre comment les reactions du gouvernement, celles de l'opinion publique et les reportages des media ont influence l'evolution de l'attitude des jeunes face a la guerre. De facon generale, la contestation moderee (exempte de violence et de desobeissance civile) semble avoir recu davantage les faveurs du public. Et le theme le plus mobi- lisateur resta - pour des raisons plus ou moins egoistes - la lutte contre la cons- cription. Si le mouvement anti-guerre recut l'aide d'autres courants contestataires (notam- ment ceux concernant les problemes universitaires et les problemes raciaux), il leur apporta egalement une certaine organisation, certaines tactiques et leur servit de fil conducteur. Le fait, pour les jeunes, d'avoir vecu cette periode troublee - en tant que contes- tataires ou non - marqua fortement leurs debuts dans la vie adulte et les opinions qu'ils etaient alors amenes a donner sur la politique etrangere, sur le systeme politique et electoral.