Vietnam and the American Political Tradition The Politics of Dissent [Hardcover]

An account and discussion of the complexities of opposition to the Vietnam war.During the Vietnam War, many came to see cold war liberalism, with its willingness to invoke the democratic ideal and at the same time tolerate dictatorships in the cause of anticommunism. This volume of essays demonstrates how opposition to the war, the military-industrial complex, and the national security state crystalilized in a variety of different and often divergent political traditions. Indeed, for many of the congressmen discussed, dissent was a decidedly conservative act in that they felt that the war threatened traditional values, mores, and institutions.During the Vietnam War, many came to see cold war liberalism, with its willingness to invoke the democratic ideal and at the same time tolerate dictatorships in the cause of anticommunism. This volume of essays demonstrates how opposition to the war, the military-industrial complex, and the national security state crystalilized in a variety of different and often divergent political traditions. Indeed, for many of the congressmen discussed, dissent was a decidedly conservative act in that they felt that the war threatened traditional values, mores, and institutions.Many came to see cold war liberals during the Vietnam War as willing to invoke the democratic ideal, while at the same time tolerating dictatorships in the cause of anticommunism. This volume of essays demonstrates how opposition to the war, the military-industrial complex, and the national security state crystallized in a variety of different and often divergent political traditions. Indeed, for many of the individuals discussed, dissent was a decidedly conservative act in that they felt the war threatened traditional values, mores, and institutions.Introduction Randall B. Woods; 1. Anti-imperialism in US foreign relations Frank Ninkovich; 2. World War II, Congress, and the roots of postwar American foreign policy Randall B. Woods; 3. The progressive dissent: Ernestls¢