A Nation Divided

As with the other books in the series, this is a solid survey of part of the Vietnam War, in this case domestic issues and the anti-war movement through 1972. A Nation Divided starts with the post-WW2 foreign policy consensus, the Baby Boom, and the Red Scare, before moving into the Civil Rights movement and anti-war activism proper. The book does a solid job tracing the links and conflicts with the Civil Rights movement, the newly political college student, longstanding peace activists, and the traditional blue collar New Deal coalition. Some of the ‘battles’—the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention and the Kent State Massacre—are picked out for detailed analysis, as well as the role of television news and the new underground press.