Analyzes Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s dissenting position on Vietnam by considering it as representative of the mode of foreign policy argument called "technocratic realism." Argues that such dissent can offer only an incomplete critique of U.S. foreign policy, because it does not question the policy's underlying purposes. (SR)

Modern revolutions, in all of their historical varieties and doctrines, perplex many of us. In the hopes of providing some elements for profitable reflection, 23 quotes from famous sources are provided. For example; "Every act of rebelling expresses a nostalgia for innocence" (Albert Camus). (NW)

The Free Speech Movement (FSM) at Berkeley during the 1960s demonstrated to students nationwide that effective protest movements could be built on campus and that engaging in such dissident activity was not un-American but was, in fact, their moral and political right. The history of this movement is discussed. (RM)

Reexamines the American National Conference of Catholic Bishops' 1983 Pastoral Letter on War and Peace. Finds that the pastoral letter functioned rhetorically not to foster but to manage dissent, diffusing a radical Catholic challenge to American defense policy and reclaiming the bishops' authority to define Church teachings on war and peace. (SR)

Argues that Rutgers University administrators participated in obfuscating the political nature of the 1935 dismissal of Lienhard Bergel, a German-born professor, whose anti-Nazi views alienated him from Friedrich Hauptmann, department head, also German-born, and avowedly pro-Nazi. Analyzes Hauptmann's central role and hearings testimony. Charges…

Although the suppression in 1917 of "The Masses," an influential Socialist magazine, has been depicted as an American tragedy, such a narrow interpretation ignores the bizarre, confused, often comic developments and episodes that attended the magazine's end. A reexamination of the demise of "The Masses" has been made to show…

Discusses Eduard Spranger's 1933 resignation from the University of Berlin from the internal perspectives of the Ministry of Culture and Spranger himself. Examines how his resignation influenced his subsequent philosophical reflections. Argues Spranger's conflict with university policy resulted in both his political distance from Nazism and a…

Summarizes Indian leaders' positive and negative reactions to the reform legislation of the 1970s. Outlines gains in Indian health, education, and employment as well as actions of Congress and Executive Branch agencies that seemed designed to thwart Indian self-determination. Concludes that reform legislation created new opportunities for American…

Analyzes Eduard Spranger's resignation from the University of Berlin in 1933. Examines the impact of press treatment of Spranger's decision to reveal the difficult nature of political action under totalitarian systems. Uses this case to discuss how judgment often precedes complete knowledge of events. (CH)

Suggests teaching about the Chinese government's 1989 suppression of student protesters at Tiananmen Square. Argues that the lesson can aid students understanding of the role of student protest in shaping China's history and interactions with the rest of the world. Offers strategies and questions for student research including reasons for the…

Focuses on the Passive Resistance campaign of the English Nonconformists in response to the 1902 Balfour Education Act's public funding of denominational (primarily Anglican) schools. Examines penalties the Nonconformists paid for tax resistance. Describes numbers of prosecutions, seizures of goods, imprisonment, and disfranchisement. Concludes…

A definitive account of the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings and the trial that followed is presented by the lawyer who served as chief counsel for the 13 victims. Part One, "The Long Road to the Cleveland Courthouse," provides all the information on the victims, the shootings, and preparation for the trial. Part Two, "At Last, Our…

The history of school district consolidation in New York State reveals that nearly every set of recommendations which has encouraged consolidation has brought about widespread negative reaction from the public. Reorganization is a highly political activity in which members of the State Legislature and the State Education Department have always…

Perspectives on the literature teacher's role and appropriate subject matter, educational objectives, and instructional methods are considered in light of campus unrest that occurred in the late 1960s at San Francisco State University. The value of studying works of literature in a time of violence and psychic numbing is addressed, and possible…

The political dynamics surrounding the adoption of an open admissions policy at the City University of New York (CUNY) are discussed. Analysis of the case of CUNY also provides a basis for considering the politics of structural change in American higher education. It is suggested that when Chancellor Albert Bowker took office in 1963, he followed…