1968: The Rise and Fall of the New American Revolution

History professors Cottrell (Sex, Drugs, and Rock ’n’ Roll) and Browne (Uncertain Order: The World in the Twentieth Century) deliver a well-written chronicle of 1968, one of the most tumultuous years in modern history. In the U.S., 1968 was dominated by the divisive Vietnam War and the protests it generated, history-changing assassinations, the 1968 Democratic Convention that nominated Hubert Humphrey over antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy, the subsequent election of Richard Nixon, the black power movement, and the general cultural upheaval that presaged the women’s liberation and gay rights movements. Cottrell and Browne also describe political upheavals in other parts of the world, such as leftist movements in France; Italy; and Czechoslovakia, where the government’s liberalizing efforts ended with the Soviet Union’s invasion. The authors skillfully place events in context, capturing the tragic dimensions of the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations and their political aftermaths, the destabilizing effect of the North Vietnamese Army’s Tet Offensive on American resolve, and the drama of the televised clashes between the Chicago Police Department and protesters during the Democratic Convention. The writing is strong, and the retrospective view will appeal to both baby boomers who experienced the year’s relentless challenges and younger readers who wish to understand how the events of 1968 changed the direction of American society. (May)