The Peace Movement - An Anti-Establishment Movement

Abstract

Attempts to explain the emergence of the peace movement in the 1980s often point to factors like fear of nuclear weapons, Soviet manipulation of public opinion in the West and NATO's double-track decision in 1979. Among these, the author emphasizes the third factor. He argues that NATO's double track de cision made the threat of nuclear war seem nearer and more real, thus motivating people to involve themselves in the peace movement. The author also introduces a fourth factor, arguing that anti- establishment attitudes constitute the most important single impulse behind the emergence of the peace movement in the 1980s. The movement reflects a subculture which is permanently pitted against establishment norms. It is this environment of critical attitudes, rather than a quest for peace or an op position against nuclear weapons, which induces people to involve themselves in the peace movement. The author substantiates this thesis through a discussion of the social groups which tend to actively sup port the peace movement, the political preferences of the peace activists and their goals and methods. The peace movement is also shown in a historical perspective, which emphasizes its relationship with other popular movements of the post-war era.