Politics, protest and the Vietnam War

The late 60's and early 70s were a time of extraordinary political upheaval in Europe. Many European capitals saw angry and sometimes violent confrontations between groups of activists and the authorities. Whilst the Second World War undoubtedly brought about unprecedented social change, the post-war years – particularly the 1950s – were a time of rigid social conformity. Young people of Andriessen's generation felt frustrated by the failure the post-war democracies to tackle inequality and social injustice, and the radical left-wing ideals of the young clashed with the conservative, sometimes complacent attitudes of the older generation, who controlled the institutions of government and education. Protests about what books and courses should be taught at universities quickly escalated into conflicts about wider and more fundamental political issues.

Also at this time, many European countries were locked in bitter and sometimes bloody conflicts with their former colonies, in Africa, South-East Asia and South America. These conflicts were the cause of deep divisions back home, between those who supported their governmentís policy of trying to preserve the status quo, and those who supported the rights of native peoples to determine their future.

What had started as a colonial struggle – between France and its former colony of Indochina (Vietnam) – was to escalate into one of the most bloody and controversial military campaigns of the century. An uneasy ceasefire had left Vietnam divided, with the north under Communist rule. American determination to prevent Communist expansion in the region (the so-called 'domino effect') led to their military support for South Vietnam.

25,000 American troops were deployed in 1964. By 1968 the number had reached 500,000, yet as more American resources were poured into the war and the numbers of American casualties grew, it was becoming clear that their presence was having little real effect. Horrific television images of the devastating effects of the war were beamed nightly into homes across America, and – as protests spread to capitals and campuses across the world – the tide of public opinion soon turned against the war.