National Curriculum Learning Pack Social & Economic Issues Greenham Common The peace camp at Greenham Common was first set up in 1981, when a group of protestors from Wales marched to RAF Greenham Common Airbase, in Berkshire. The march was designed to challenge the sighting of 96 cruise missiles on the base by the United States Air Force (USAF). The group chained themselves to the fence of the airbase and demanded a debate with the government on nuclear armament. When this request was ignored, they set up a peace camp just outside the fence to the base. Originally the protesters were made up of both men and women, but in 1982 it became known as the Women’s Peace Camp when the camp became women only. Later that year 300, 000 women arrived to disrupt the exercises of the USAF. These disruptions ranged from laying down in front of lorries, to disrupting exercises and cutting through the fence of the base to walk on the common itself, which they argued was public land, a decision later supported by the law lords. Many attempts were made by the local council to evict the women from the site, such as on the 4th April 1984, when bailiffs, supported by 300 police officers, cleared the camp. However, not everyone supported this action which caused the Labour MP, Tony Benn, to state that “civil liberties in Britain are being removed by order of the government”. The eviction did not last long, and by the next day, women had already set up new camps on the common, where they remained until 2000. In 1991 the last cruise missile was removed from Greenham Common, along with USAF personnel, as a result of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, which had been signed by both the USA and USSR in 1987. However, protestors remained to ensure that Greenham Common was returned to public use and in April 2000 the fences surrounding the former air base were removed. The site is now home to a memorial, commemorating the activities of the peace protestors, whilst the cruise missile storage silos have been fenced off and designated an Ancient Monument. 2 Anti Vietnam Protests The first organised protests against the Vietnam War took place in both New York and Philadelphia during August 1963. These protests were attended by American pacifists commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War. The next year, opposition spread to the countries college campuses, at a time of unprecedented student activism, and went on to include wide cross section of American society. By 1965, the peace movement had gained national prominence and it was in November of that year that two men, Norman Morrison and Roger Allen Laporte, set themselves on fire in protest at the conflict. Criticism of the war was varied. Some argued that the war was immoral and an attack on Vietnamese independence. Others questioned the military itself, claiming it lacked any clear idea of how to achieve its objectives. By 1968 opposition to the war had spread to government itself, with three peace candidates, including Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy, standing against Lyndon B Johnson during the presidential election campaign. The system of conscription for the war also proved unpopular, as demonstrated in May 1965 when a group of students from the University of California staged the first public burning of a draft card. In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed concern about the ratio of African American casualties in the war leading to high levels of support for the campaign from that section of society. Unlike those from the upper and middle classes, poorer people and minority groups found it harder to defer their service, but it was not until 1970 that the system was changed. John Lennon and John Kerry, two famous anti war protestors. Protestors also included veterans of the Vietnam conflict itself, some of whom converged on the White House in April 1971 to throw their medals on the Capitol steps. Two years later, in 1973, America finally withdrew from the war, having lost almost 60, 000 troops. The war 3 continued until 1975, when the communist forces in North Vietnam claimed victory over the south. 4 The formation of the independent trade union ‘ Solidarity’ – Soldarność – was in response to the actions of the Communist government in raising prices for basic goods. The emblem is arguably one of the most recognisable symbols of a political movement in recent times. Poland became a communist state as a result of agreements reached at the Yalta Conference. By the mid 1960’s, Poland was experiencing increasing economic and political difficulties. The government had secured a large loan from the West and the resulting economic boom led to a rise in living standards and expectations. This began to falter in 1973 because of the oil crisis. Opposition to the Communist regime was strengthened by the election a Pole, Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II in 1978. He was as source of immense pride to the Polish people and he refused to accept that Soviet rule would last forever. The Catholic Church supported Solidarity. In June 1979, he made his first visit to Poland as Pope. Half a million people heard him speak in Warsaw and overnight he became the most important person in 5 Poland. Pope John Paul did not call fro rebellion but he encouraged the Polish people to create an ‘alternative’ Poland of social institutions independent of the government so that when the next crisis arose the nation could present a united front. By 1980, the Polish government was trapped by economic and political pressures. The imposed increased cost of basic foodstuffs led to rebellion. A wave of strikes began and in early August reached the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk. This strike was led by an electrician – Lech Walęsa. In 1981, the government attempted to defeat and destroy the union by imposing martial laws but after several years it had to start negotiating with the union. In 1989, talks between the government and the Solidarity led opposition led to semi free elections. By the end of August that yeas a Solidarity led coalition government was formed and in December Lech Walęsa was elected President of Poland. Since then Solidarity has become a more traditional trade union and has little influence in modern politics. Economic Development There was a marked contrast in the rate of economic recovery and progress between the Soviet Union and her allies and the countries of Western Europe after World War II. Western Europe had access to funds from America via the Marshall Plan. This influx of aid - food, money, equipment and technical assistance - helped Europe re-equip her factories and revive agriculture and trade. The plan was rejected by the Soviets who felt it was a plot by America to gain influence in Soviet affairs. The Soviet Union relied on reparation of goods and equipment from Germany for their sole source of foreign trade. The government focused its reconstruction on heavy industry at the expense of other economic sectors and so the development fo consumer goods was hindered. The greater influx of resources into the West enabled a much faster rate of economic growth and rise in living standards than was possible in the Eastern bloc. 6 One area where this can be demonstrated is in the development and manufacture of the small, reliable and inexpensive to run family car. Perhaps three of the most iconic cars of the post war era are the Mini, Volkswagen Beetle and the Trabant. The first two are products of rapidly growing Western economies and the third developed by the less prosperous East. Mini The Mini was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The car was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and was revolutionary in its design. Its’ space saving front wheel drive layout influenced a generation of car makers. The Mini achieved success as a reliable four seater that was affordable for all. Volkswagen Beetle 7 This car is more commonly know as the ‘Beetle’ and was manufactured in Germany by Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. In 1938, Adolf Hitler commissioned engineer Ferdinand Porche to produce a vehicle that was capable of transporting two adults and three children at a speed of 62mph (100km/h) and that would cost no more than 200 German Marks. During World War II variants of the car were produced and used by German Officers but production of the familiar Beetle began in 1945. This car was aimed at the mass market and was very popular. Trabant The name Trabant means satellite in German and the cars are often referred to as the Trabbi. The Trabant was produced by the former East German car maker Sachsenring AG. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany and was also exported to other socialist countries. Its selling points were that it had room for four adults plus luggage but its smokey performance and two stroke engine meant it took 21 seconds to go from 0 -100km/h and had a top speed of 112km/h (70mph). As producing consumer goods was a low priority for the government it could take years for an order to be fulfilled and the economic climate of the East required people to save for years before they could hope to buy one. 8 Flower power Flower Power was a slogan used by people who described themselves as ‘hippies’. The movement was formed in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s as a non violent protest to the Vietnam War.