How effective was the protest movement in stopping the Vietnam war?
Very Effective Numbers opposed to the War rose as the war went on. (See polls below)
Poll on Johnson 1964;
Not Very Effective Protesters of the time were so radical they repelled others = “Negative Follower Group”- One group of people (protesters) bothers the other (normal Americans) to the point where others join the enemy (Pro-war Americans) – For example, the hippy movement offended many sectors of American society.
How would you rate the job President Johnson has done on (READ STATEMENT BELOW) excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor? Item: Handling the situation in Vietnam 5.50 % Excellent 28.20 % Very Good 23.20% Only Fair 16.90% Poor 26.20% Not Sure -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Poll on Nixon October 1969 Item: President Nixon was wrong to say he would not pay any attention to anti-Vietnam protests; 53.40% Agree 33.50% Disagree 13.10% Not sure -------------------------------------------------------------Poll 1974 Item: We should never again commit American soldiers to a war like Vietnam; 75.40% Agree 18.10% Disagree 6.50% Not Sure
The Moratorium Rally of 1969 (Washington DC) - Between 250500,000 present – Largest ever anti-war protest in history
It was not public protest, but the cost of the War that turned people against the War – Growing social unrest and the collapse of the Great Society. Other factors such as My Lai, the draft, the release of the Pentagon Papers (1971) were more important than the protest movement,