The American College Student Movement In The 1960s

The thesis traces the history of the American college student movement in the 1960s and analyzes the causes of its rise and failure, its proposition and the response from social personalities of all circles as well as its influences. Besides introduction and conclusion, the thesis consists of four chapters.The first chapter analyzes the causes of the rise of the movement in such aspects as the characteristics of the generation hi the 1960s, the development of higher education from elite to common people and American crises from home and abroad at that time.The second chapter emphasizes the proposition of the movement, also tracing the course of the movement.The third chapter is the result of an analysis of the response from the tracing staff in the colleges and universities, the political circle, the media and the common people. In author's opinion, the support for college student movement from social personalities of all circles is gradually disappearing.The fourth chapter analyzes the reasons of the failure of the movement and the impact on the rebel at that time and the American society.The thesis concludes that the college student movement, as a rebellious force of the American society, was progressive to some extent at that time because it impelled people to reconsideration of the criterion of the value in the American society under the context of national monopoly capitalism and because it definitely raised such problems as anti-racialism, anti-capitalism and imperialism. Then, the movement didn't shake the root of American society, the conception of which didn't adapt to new historical environment. In a sense, the movement is immature because it only raised problems but not solved them.