1970s: History Overview

A RÉSUMÉ OF THE 1960s – AND AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WAS TO UNFOLD IN THE 1970s:

This page is all about setting the record straight about the how important this era was in changing deeply entrenched Establishment ‘norms’ of social, cultural and political conventions, behaviour and expectations; how it set in motion the changes that would result in the freedoms and equality that are taken for granted today - and and how the 1960s and 70s should be regarded as the classical era of modern culture…

But we’ve never been about a ‘rose tinted specs’ perspective, and we’ve never shied away from addressing, discussing and debating the things that were, debatably, ‘wrongs’, or that turned out ‘wrong’. (The good thing about this page is that we can – and do – do that with mature, civil and respectful discussion – differing points of view respected, even when disagreed with. ).

As we now move into chronicling the 1970s, here’s a discussion piece – which offers an overview of the 1960s – and suggestions of the rights and wrongs, and how that affected the mood and collective psyche that unfolded during the 1970s…

THE 1960s: THE RISE OF 'A WHOLE GENERATION WITH A NEW EXPLANATION' (Scott McKenzie: 'San Francisco' (1967))...

1969 had closed the 1960s decade on a triumphant note for the youth social and cultural revolution that had begun to take shape in 1960, when an earthy, Folky fringe started to emerge from the Jazz loving, poetry spouting, aloof and elitist American Beatnik culture, and started to produce protest singers and bands, such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Peter, Paul and Mary - which were starting to get onto vinyl and into the popular mass market record charts… But still, it did not connect with mass, grass roots youth – who were mostly into the purely let-off-steam rebellion of Rock and Roll.

The Rock and Roll youth that had emerged in the mid-1950s snarled, looked malcontent, and raged with great energy – but with no purpose or direction…

UK youth ‘aped’ the American Rock and Roll and Beatnik cultures – but also added its own twist: as well as the grungy, leather jacket Rockers, the UK had sharp suited Teddy Boys as its own Rock and Roll style; and the working class, earthy fringe of the UK Beatniks adopted black American Bluesy / R'n'B music – and then the Teddy Boys’ sharp suits style – with the addition of a parka anorak – and took up the ‘Italian style’ of scooters as transport – as opposed to Greaser motorbikes…

The early 1960s London Mod was born… And at the same time, a similar style of music and dress was taking shape in the north of England: Mersey Beat… It was spearheaded by a cocky, wise cracking bunch of Scouse (Liverpudlian) singer songwriters, with a slick manager: The Beatles and Brian Epstein…

THE 'BRITISH INVASION'...

These supposedly innovative British bands and artists – which were, really, only putting a British twist on American Blues and Beatnik Folk (in the case of British Folky, Donovan), and exporting it back to the USA – grabbed the attention and the adoration of American 1960s youth. The irony is, that in America Blues was considered a black American culture, even in the more liberal States, and white American youth rarely even heard it, and didn’t give that music a moment’s notice; but exposed to it by these white British guys, it appeared to white America to be a whole new ‘thing’ – and it wowed ‘em…

THE MIXING OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES THROUGH YOUTH CULTURE...

What British youth culture also brought to the USA, was the long tradition of British lefty Bolshiness, and sense of social justice: the class divide and injustice of class privilege was ever a part of British life – and protest and rebellion against it has a very long history.

America was and is (at least in principle) based upon equality and democracy; and equal opportunities for those willing to work hard. It's reasonable to say though (I suggest), that up to the 1960s the truth was that ideal mostly applied to WHITE people – and in particular, white MEN...

Moreover, the post-WWII Cold War stand-off between the communist USSR and its allies, and the capitalist USA and its allies, led to a robust persecution of all leftist thinking and thinkers in the USA – which was at its most notorious with the purge of left wing Americans led by Senator Joseph McCarthy between 1947 and 1956, known as the ‘McCarthy Witch Hunts’. Left wing thinking and protest was not only virtually unknown in the USA – it was downright dangerous to practice…

The British working-class youth of the 1960s was a new breed of British working-class – thanks to the massive swing to then left in post-WWII British politics, which elected the Socialist Labour government of Clement Atlee by a landslide. That government introduced the National Health Service: healthcare for everyone, paid for by National Insurance payments paid by every working person. It also extended education to all up to the compulsory age of 15, with able students allowed to stay on to 18, to gain accredited qualifications and apply for university or good jobs. Part of that education and health reform was free eye tests, hearing tests and dental checks for kids, and immunisation against common debilitating illness, like polio, rubella and so on. Free school meals were provided for all poorer kids, and every kid got a free quarter pint of milk at school…

The result was, that all debilitating illness, and poverty related frailty, was eliminated in the British working-class within a generation… And access to education made this more vigorous and robust section of society better educated, better informed, and better able to express protest in pursuit of social justice and fairness…

The so-called ‘British [social and cultural] Invasion’ of North America in the 1960s, was bringing with it a Bolshie street-level edge to social attitudes and protest, which would coalesce with the raw rebellious energy of American Rock and Roll youth and the thoughtful intellectualising of the Beatnik Folky fringe – and by the mid-1960s, would lead to a whole new paradigm of social and cultural thinking: ‘…a whole generation, with a new explanation…’ (Scott McKenzie: ‘San Francisco’ (1967))…

THE RISE OF POPULAR PROTESTS

Protests in the USA, which were centred on civil rights for the African American community, and against the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War, were rooted in a pacifist stance.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement on strictly pacifist protest, right up until his assassination in 1968.

Anti-Vietnam protests at first involved marches against the blanket bombing of North Vietnam and the spraying of the South Vietnam jungles with the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. When, in 1964, the feared escalation of U.S troop involvement in Vietnam became a reality, under the Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, protests focussed on non-compliance with introduction of conscription into the U.S Military.

Peaceful protests in support of Dr King’s Civil Rights Movement, and against the Vietnam War spread around the world.

In the midst of this, youth was exploring the very meaning and nature; of ‘reality’; of existence – and genuinely seeking a higher understanding of ‘reality’ and existence – to replace the Establishment ‘reality’ that had brought the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation.

Mystic, religious and philosophical ideas from the Indian traditions, the Native American traditions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity were explored, in conjunction with the controlled use of mind and perception altering drugs, as part of this search. It was genuine and well-intended – but soon spiralled out of control… (See the article: ‘The Drug Sub-Culture and Psychedelia’, in the: Politics, Society and the Quest for Change’ photo album).

THE MID-LATE 1960s: AN AGGRESSIVE EDGE STARTS TO EMERGE...

But by the mid-1960s, more aggressive – and in some cases, violent – protest was beginning to emerge. The black separatist organisation called The Nation of Islam (which has no connection to mainstream Islam), became high profile, with a charismatic leader, Elijah Muhammad; spokesperson, Malcom X; and new member – the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay).

The Black Panther organization emerged, purporting to be as a protector of the rights of ethnic minorities, but used terrorist tactics and extreme violence. They inspired the setting up of the so-called White Panthers – a small scale, leftist, protest group of white American youth, which also embraced violence.

The slogan and clenched fist demonstration ‘Black Power’ arose: it was not expressly violent, but was aggressively bullish – and, it must be said, essentially racist. Moderate protestors disdained this demonstration, and considered it as distasteful and divisive and racist as the slogan ‘White Supremacy’.

In 1968 the Black Power Protest was used to maximum publicity effect, when two medal winning black American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gave that salute on the medal rostrum during the Mexico Olympics. It dismayed Olympic competitors from all countries, who had banded together in a demonstration of anti-racism and human rights to form the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), and Australian bronze medallist Perter Norman stood on the rostrum displaying that symbol.

The Black Power gesture got a huge publicity response, however… That sent out a signal that the Olympics could be used to promote agendas – and in 1972 that was taken to a horrific extreme, when the paramilitary Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) assassinated Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics…

The PLO campaign was co-ordinated by Yasser Arafat, a hawk, who’d become its leader in 1969 – the same year that the equally hawkish Golda Meyer has been elected Prime Minister of Israel…

THE 1970s: CONFIDENCE - TO BULLISHNESS - TI AGGRESSION: WHILE THE PEACEFUL CALL GOR CALM...

The 1970s was to be a decade of escalated conflict throughout the Middle-East.

In America, the growing success of the anti-war movements by peaceful means, resulted in the bullish confidence of the 1969 Moratorium protest in the USA: a planned and co-ordinated ‘suspension of normal activities’ (a less militant and more all-inclusive version of a general strike; a social protest that all of society could take part in)… But it also saw the rise of terror organisation known as The Weather Underground Organisation (WUD), and its campaign of violence, with the slogan: Bring The War Home – and (again) the clenched first symbol.

THE BRITISH - IRISH ''TROUBLES'...

In the British governed province of Northern Ireland (Ulster), division between the majority Protestant, British loyalist community and the Roman Catholic, Irish republican community dates back to the 1600s, and periodically erupted into armed conflict ever since. In 1968, the republican community, who were, it must be owned, denied many basic human rights, were inspired by Dr. King’s Civil Rights Movement in America to commence a purely peaceful protest for their own human rights. This was met by hostility by the loyalist community, which always feared that the province would be abandoned by Britain and forced back into an Ireland still dominated politically by the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. By 1969 this republican protest was reduced to violence, and by 1970 the Irish Republican Army (IRA) terror group reactivated its campaign in Northern Ireland. Loyalist terror groups responded, and a long terror campaign ensued – with the British Army in the middle, keeping the situation from all-out civil war. The Republican and Loyalist sides both adopted clenched fist symbolism… (See the article: ‘The British / Irish ‘Troubles’, in the: ‘Politics, Society, and The Quest for Change’ photo album).

WOMEN'S LIBERATION

The clenched fist had been adopted as a symbol of the women’s rights campaign as early as 1964, by the Women’s Liberation Movement. Great advances were being made in the cause of women’s rights throughout the 1960s, without violent protest, and by being inclusive of male support. By 1970 though, it too was acquiring a more confrontational and aggressive edge. Declarations of anger, and anti-male sentiments – such appellations like Male Chauvinist Pig, directed at men in general – became common during the 1970s…

RÉSUMÉ

So that was the evolution of protest in this era, up to 1969 – and how it developed into the 1970s: peaceful Folky Beatnik moralising, got the message mainstream, but was largely ignored; pro-active, still mainly peaceful anti-war demos; and civil rights demos, became worldwide and began to have an effect, up to the mid-late 1960s… when they started to go mainstream and get the media, politicians and celebrities on board (most famously, Muhammad Ali, who refused the draft into the US Military, on pacifist grounds, at great cost to himself)…

That confidence brought with it bullishness – and with that, aggression – and, by the late 1960s, the seeds and cultivation of violence… While the peaceful still tried to call for calm…

PROTEST IN MUSIC IN THE 1970s...

The 1970s was to be a decade when peace was no longer merely being pleaded for or reasoned for: it was being demanded by some, in in-your-face terms. The music reflected that: Edwin Starr’s ‘War – What Is It Good For..?’ (1970); Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ (1970); and County Joe’s ‘Feels Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag’ – made famous by the 1970 release of the Woodstock Festival soundtrack album.

Protest generally would become bullish: Lennon’s tone had changed from 1969’s ‘Give Peace A Chance’ to the Bolshie ‘Power To The People’ !1970). The Genesis epic, ‘The Knife’ ‘Tespass’ (1970) was a clever construct – almost prophetic even: it’s not really about promoting violence and conflict, more about how easily people are seduced into this course of action. Hawkwind followed up the 1971 abstract, psychedelic mind-bender hit single, with the overtly aggressive anarchistic ‘Urban Guerrilla’ – which was banned by the BBC, as it coincided with extreme terror violence in Northern Ireland. In 1977 Hawkwind released the song ‘Hassan I Sabha’ (‘Quark Strangeness and Charm’) – a celebration of the medieval sect known as the Hashishin (from which the modern word assassin is derived), and the modern Palestinian terror group known as Black September. Even Paul McCartney got a single banned, for much the same reason, his pro-Irish Republican ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’. Mott The Hoople released the proto-Punk song, ‘Violence’ (‘…the only thing that will make you see sense…’) on the album ‘Mott’ (1974).

CONCLUSION...

As the 1970s wore on, peaceful intent still at least tried to prevail – but the 1960s had shown to all areas of society, that in this modern world, popular protest can work… But what did we do with that knowledge..? We did the human thing: the confidence of success by protest, led, instead of greater humility and understanding, to greater bullishness and insistence: pleas became demands… And in some quarters, demands became determination to take by violent force….

The positive, constructive side of humanity gave strength to the negative and destructive side… And our own weakness was, slowly, slowly seduced by that…

What causes conflict..? What causes peaceful intent to be corrupted into aggressive demands and ultimately violence and conflict..? Politics? Religion? Power? … Nope, none of those things – those are just the things we are told to conveniently blame… It’s us… US… We keep setting out as individuals with the right intent and motives – but we keep getting seduced and corrupted by appeals to the base side of our nature, and the security blanket of ‘herd thinking’ – and taken-in by the self-serving agendas of an organised and Powerful few…

You know what is possibly the most poignant line from any Golden Era song..? I think it’s John Lennon shouting on ‘Give Peace A Chance’: ‘You’ll only get it if ya want it..! And we want it NOW..!’

Did we? Really..? Do we now..? Have we ever..? Really..?

The 1970s was to be an increasingly aggressive and violent decade – with terrorism and Cold war conflict rife… Social unrest and disaffection would see late 1970s youth turn to the snarling aggression of Punk - and disdain the Hippie ideal as ‘complacent’ (as Johnny Rotten, frontman of The Sex Pistols, described Hippies).

But what better illustration of how culture had turned more aggressive and turned its back on pacifist ideals, than the fact that the era ended (in the UK) with Pink Floyd at the top of the album and singles Charts – out-Punking the Punks, with the anarchistic album ‘The Wall’, and the anthem: ‘Another Brick In The Wall’: ‘We don’t need no education… Teacher leave those kids alone…’ ..?

It’s a semi-autobiographical concept by Roger Waters, which laments the decline and failure of pacifist ideals – and resigns to the need for more aggressive protest…

This is just my personal overview – I’d be interested in other people’s, and, hopefully, an interesting discussion thread…

(I found the images used in this collage online. My acknowledgement and thanks to whoever made them / own them (identity unknown to me)).

(M).

Textual content: ©Copyright: MLM Arts 15. 12. 2017. Edited and re-posted: 28. 01. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 31. 01. 2020. Edited and re-posted: 14. 02. 2023

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BRITISH / IRISH ‘TROUBLES’

(Which resumed in 1968 and remained an active conflict throughout this era).

'THE TROUBLES' AS THE THE ISSUE AFFECTED THE 1960s and 70s

The British / Irish 'Troubles' (as they were called at the time, and as they are commonly referred to by history), go back a very long way. They flared up into violence again in the late 1960s, and 'The Troubles' in Ireland was to be a major feature of the politics and protest of the 1970s.

As 'Chronicles' has now commenced describing the history of the 1970s, I thought it important to post an overview account of The British - Irish ‘Troubles’, to familiarise people with the issues.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH - IRISH 'TROUBLES'

THE 1600s: THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION; KING JAMES I (of England; VI of Scotland) COLONISES ULSTER WITH SCOTTISH PROTESTANTS

British (in older history (pre-1600s) it is more accurate to say English) - Irish relations have always been uneasy to say the least, so dating the origin of this discord is uncertain. The religious element which became so central to it must, of course, date to The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century, which commenced the Protestant - Roman Catholic wars of religion throughout central Europe. The policy of British King James VI of Scotland and I of England (1566 – 1625) of seizing land from Irish nobles and resettling it with Scots Protestants as a way to subdue the Catholic population, may be considered the origin of the Irish population divide.

BRITAIN'S POOR TREATMENT OF IRISH ROMAN CATHOLICS (and Roman Catholics generally)

Britain handled its 'Irish problem' very badly, if looked at in cool, reasonable, impartial terms. Irish Roman Catholics were denied many basic civil rights which their Protestant neighbours enjoyed. There is insufficient space to be detailed here, but these included, for example, rights of ownership of land, ownership of animals, and various employment prejudices. In Britain generally the promotion of the Roman Catholic faith was proscribed until the late 1700s. (I recommend Dickens' 'Barnaby Rudge' as a novel which deals with the violent reaction to Roman Catholic emancipation in Britain at that time).

Resistance to oppression by England / or Britain had been almost a way of life for the Irish for centuries, and so conflict with the English / British authorities was on going.

THE EARLY 1900s: ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE 'THE IRELAND PROBLEM': THE FEARS OF THE PROTESTANT MINORITY...

In an attempt to find solution to its 'Ireland problem', in the early 1900s Irish Home Rule was on the British political agenda. Fearing a cave-in to Irish Republican pressure by the British Government, that would grant Independence to Ireland, the Protestant / British Loyalist majority in the province of Ulster (the descendants of King James's Scots), led by leading political figures Edward Carson and James Craig, formed the paramilitary group The Ulster Volunteer Force (U.V.F) in 1913, to resist Irish Home Rule.

1916: THE 'EASTER UPRISING' AND THE ORIGINS OF THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY (IRA)

1916 brought The Easter Uprising by Roman Catholic Irish Republicans, when a few lightly armed men occupied the Post Office building in Dublin - a building symbolic of British rule. This is seen as the beginning of paramilitary group The Irish Republican Army (I.R.A). The conspirators were captured. At this time Irish public opinion is said to have been mainly in favour of the British - as most of the Roman Catholic majority just wanted a fair deal from them.

It was now that the British blundered again in their policy towards Ireland: they made the mistake of executing the rebels. Irish Roman Catholic public opinion turned against Britain...

POLITICAL PRESSURE: DANIEL O'CONNELL

Political pressure was brought to bear on Britain, by pressure groups and by the Irish aristocracy - including those who had been dispossessed of land by the British. Most notable was Daniel O'Connell - generally accepted as the central figure in Irish liberation. Home Rule for Ireland was given a still higher profile on the British political agenda.

WAR AGAINST BRITISH RULE. THE PARTITIONING OF IRELAND IN 1921

War against British rule followed in Ireland (between 1919 and 1921), which led to Britain conceding territory to the Irish Republicans, but insisting upon protecting the Loyalist Protestant majority in the province of Ulster (Northern Ireland). Consequently, Ireland was partitioned in 1921. Northern Ireland was made a separate country, with its own government (in Stormont Castle) - but remaining part of the United Kingdom and under British jurisdiction.

1921 - THE 1970s: THE IRISH REPUBLIC DECLARES ITS AIM OF REUNITING IRELAND.

THE PARAMILITARY IRA DECLARE THE SAME AIM

In the years between then and the present day, the paramilitary IRA has launched several attempts to reclaim Ulster from British rule, and has reinvented itself a number of times in the process. The Irish Government meanwhile made it declared policy to one day reunite Ulster with the rest of Ireland.

THE PROTESTANT / BRITISH MAJORITY IN ULSTER FEEL UNDER SIEGE; KEEP TIGHT CONTROL

The Loyalist community, feeling under siege, and always mindful of what they considered to be their betrayal by the British Government in 1919 (when the British government began to waver under pressure from Republicans, and considered concessions), kept a firm grip on power in Northern Ireland, and Roman Catholics continued to be denied many civil rights: for example, the Unionists largely followed the unofficial edict by Carson that (paraphrasing): Protestants should employ Protestants.

To the Loyalist community, the Roman Catholic / Republican community was seen as a hostile force, in league with an external enemy: something akin to what would become known to history (during the Spanish Civil War of the 1936 - 1939) as a 'Fifth Column': so called, after Spanish fascist leader, General Franco, had besieged Madrid with four army columns; he declared that his supporters within the city amounted to having a 'fifth column'. From 1921 onwards, the Ulster Loyalists saw the RC Republicans in a similar light...

'THE TROUBLES' RESUME IN THE 1960s: PEACEFUL CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN DESCENDS INTO VIOLENCE...

The Roman Catholic / Republican protests that began in 1968 started as a peaceful civil rights campaign. It can, I suggest, be fairly assumed, however, that The IRA was 'in the wings', especially as it had made a declaration of intent in 1966, by blowing up the Dublin monument, Nelson's Pillar (a monument to 18th Century British admiral, Lord Nelson). It must also be said that, yet again, Britain - and the Loyalist majority - handled the situation very badly, and inflamed Roman Catholic / Republican feelings by disrupting the marches, which resulted in them descending into violence, whilst still denying them the basic civil rights that they wanted - and should have had, in all fairness...

THE FIRST MAJOR CONFLICT ('The Battle Of The Bogside') - AND BRITISH ARMY TROOPS ARE SENT IN TO RESTORE ORDER...

1969 saw a resumption of attempts at peaceful marches, but with the same violent results. This culminated in what is remembered as 'The Battle of Bogside' (12th - 14th August): a full scale riot in (London) Derry, lasting three days. This prompted the Irish Republic's Prime Minister (Jack Lynch) to call for a United Nations peace keeping force to be sent to the province. The Northern Irish Prime Minister (James Chichester-Clark) considered this an outrageous interference and ceased diplomatic relations with the Republic - and called in British troops to restore order and keep the peace.

THE IRA AND THE PROTESTANT PARAMILITARIES ((UVF ) ULSTER DEFENCE ASSOCIATION (UDA), Etc.) ENTER THE FIELD...

The I.R.A entered the field again, and soon after came Loyalist groups like the U.V.F, and the Ulster Defence Association (U.D.A). The British Army was what came between the two communities and their paramilitary wings, and prevented all-out civil war.

BRITISH POLICY BLINDERS AGAIN: INTERNMENT - AND 'BLOODY SUNDAY'...

British policy, however, was to blunder again, again, and yet again - with the introduction of internment without trial (1971); the infamous 'Bloody Sunday' incident (1972), in which peaceful Republican protestors were shot at by British troops, killing 14 people and wounding 12 more; and the handling of the I.R.A hunger strike prisoners, which resulted in the death of 10 of the protestors (1981) as examples.

The I.R.A sought to take the issue away from civil rights and back to an attempt to reunite Ulster with The Irish Republic.

THE CASE AGAINST REUNITING ULSTER WITH THE IRISH REPUBLIC

It must be said in fairness to the Loyalists, that this was a wholly unrealistic demand under the circumstances.

The Irish Republic at the time was the most deprived and impoverished country in Western Europe. Also, politics in The Republic was still closely bound up with the Roman Catholic Church - which wielded enormous social and political power in that country.

As well as social depravation, the people of Northern Ireland would have been absorbed into a social and political situation that was almost mediaeval: with some of the human rights that were being won all over the western world strictly denied to those in the Irish Republic by the power of the Roman Catholic Church.

Expecting people from the relatively prosperous and liberal U.K to give up those rights and join such a political and social set-up was unreasonable and unrealistic under any circumstances - far more so with the deeply entrenched social / religious divide of Northern Ireland's community also in the mix.

A LONG AND BLOODY CONFLICT

Atrocities were committed by all sides in this conflict, and so very much innocent blood was spilled so senselessly: each time an atrocity happened the side responsible would issue a pale apology, but attempt to qualify it in some way by saying that their side had been provoked by the other side, and the usual glib 'get-out' references used by all who are involved in aggression and armed conflict, such as: 'the consequences of armed struggle'; 'tragic, unavoidable consequences of war'... etc... It was very sad...

STALEMATE - AND EVENTUALLY, AN UNEASY PEACE...

The I.R.A could not break the British and Loyalist resolve, and the British Army held its own under intensely difficult circumstances, and kept the province from all out civil war, but could not ultimately defeat the I.R.A, nor put a stop to the reprisals of the loyalist groups.

The stalemate resulted in (slowly, slowly) a political willingness to talk, and to give concessions on both sides, until they arrived at some kind of agreement (it's difficult to call it 'peace', but it is a cease fire).

That agreement to cessation of hostilities, brokered between the British and Republic Of Ireland governments - and the political parties in Northern Ireland - known as ' The Good Friday Agreement' - was signed in April 1998. It remains the basis of the on-going uneasy peace that exists in Northern Ireland.

We must all hope and pray that it lasts, and that it results in real peace.

'THE TROUBLES' EXPRESSED IN MODERN CULTURE

So much artistic expression has been written, painted, and performed describing 'The Irish Troubles' in the era; for some examples: the great contemporary Irish poet Seamus Heaney wrote extensively on the subject; Paul McCartney released the single 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish', and it was banned by the BBC; comedian / Folk singer Billy Connolly handled the subject with moving sensitivity in his song 'Sergeant, Where's Mine?'; less sensitive was Hawkwind's single 'Urban Guerrilla' (which is a song that describes terrorism, but not specifically in Ireland), was also banned by the BBC.

Later, dramas, like the 1982 BBC miniseries, 'Harry's Game' - about a British Special Air Service (SAS) operative who infiltrates the Republican community in Northern Ireland, (featuring the haunting theme song by Irish Folk Rock band, Clannad), depicted the tension, plotting and subterfuge of the conflict - and the effect it had on the two divided communities...

Within this range of artistic depiction must also be mentioned the sometimes astonishing Folk Art of the wall murals which were painted on the walls of some of buildings in the province.

Stunning art, moving passion, and a great and creative people... It is of great sorrow that all of this genius has been put to such destructive uses so often.

A SHORT, BUT POIGNANT, CONCLUSION...

May all of Ireland find peace: soon, and enduring...

(I found the images used in this collage online. My acknowledgement and thanks to whoever made them / own them (identity unknown to me)). (M).

Textual content:

©Copyright: MLM Arts 13. 12. 2011. Edited and re-posted: 21. 02. 2015. Edited and re-posted: 05. 05. 2016. Edited and re-posted: 08. 01. 2018. Edited and re-posted: 08. 04. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 19. 02. 2020. Edited and re-posted: 17. 08. 2020. Edited and re-posted: 12. 02. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 14. 02. 2023

CHRONICLING THE GOLDEN ERA:

Part XI: 1970

THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION

The 1960s social and cultural revolution had, in the course of a decade, resulted in great success and progress in the causes of greater freedoms, equality, fairness and justice… But the confidence engendered by that success by peaceful means had brought with it an impatience for more and faster progress – and rise in more aggressive and violent protest from some quarters.

Culturally, the 1970s began with the youth social and cultural revolution very much accepted as a phenomenon– a counter culture that was challenging social and cultural ‘norms’, and effecting real change; the complacent Establishment belief that this was just another passing phase expression of youth malcontent, like the Beatniks and Rock and Roll, was long since abandoned…

Protest was not confined to marches and demos; it was in all aspects of our culture – particularly music. It had become a way of life, expressed in the way we dressed, wore our hair, explored and debated different religions, philosophies and politics – and rejected accepted conformist roles in society. Long hair on guys was, perhaps, the most visible expression and symbol of non-conformist lifestyle; the term for long hair -‘freak flag’ – was coined by David Crosby on the track ‘Almost Cut My Hair’, from the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album ‘Déjà vu’ (1970), though the term ‘freak flag’ itself was coined to mean non-conforming, by Jimi Hendrix, on the track ‘If 6 was 9’ (1967).

But 1970 dress was also used to express non-conformist attitudes: a free mix of Indian craft clothing; cast-offs from charity shops – and Army Surplus store military attire, cheekily festooned with band logos and peace signs, etc…

Discussion and debate among friends comparing religious and philosophical ideas; political ideologies was common - and also engaged in with openness and willingness to listen to each other. The core basis of these interests was not school or media sources – it was the music and lyrics that we listened to: our culture was more than just entertainment – it was an education and a stimulus to think… That continued and expanded through the 1970s…

As pointed out on this page many times, there was no one, singular expression of youth revolutionary culture: some identified as Hippies; others, Freaks; Heads; Flower Children; Rockers; Children of God; etc… And many (most, I'd suggest) didn’t identify with any particular label - but rather, identified with the general ethos and ideology, and expressed it by identifying with the culture (particularly music) and the freedom to have unconventional ideas on religion, philosophy, politics and the structure of society - and to dress and wear their hair in unconventional ways...

Tragically, the originally well intended 1960s experimentation with mind and mood altering drugs, mostly LSD and cannabis, which, in conjunction with exploring ancient religious and philosophical traditions, was a sincere attempt to find an alternative and higher understanding of 'reality' than that of the 'reality' that had brought humanity to the brink of nuclear annihilation, had, by the late 1960s, been hi-jacked by thrill seekers and bandwagon jumpers, and had degenerated into hedonistic indulgence. That degeneration was, sadly, causing casualties. In 1970, two giants of modern culture, both of whom expressed genuine desire for a better humanity - Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix - passed away as a result of using drugs...

By 1970 developments in music were continuing to grow, progress, and innovate: Folk; Pop; Soul; R’n’B – had been added to by the swirling sounds of psychedelic music; the heavy guitar riffs of Rock, which was evolving into Heavy Rock; Prog. Rock; and various styles of musical fusion. 1970 was to be the launch pad for exciting musical innovation that would see this musical experimentation advance still further…

The 1960s had ended on a triumphant note for the social and cultural revolution. Carried along by that confidence, the 1970s began with the above referred to bullish, insistent and aggressive edge discernible...

EVENTS IN THE WORLD

IN THE UK

At the very start of 1970 there was an indication of how the British approach to Northern Ireland’s increasingly confrontational civil unrest was woefully misjudged (and would continue to be). The peaceful civil rights campaign begun in 1968 by the Roman Catholic / republican minority, met with hostility by the Protestant/ loyalist majority – and by 1969 the terrorist Irish Republican Army (IRA) and loyalist terrorist groups had entered the fray.

The British government took control of the situation and sent British troops to keep the peace. The British Government acknowledged that the Protestant / loyalist Ulster Government's heavy-handedness towards the minority Roman Catholic / republican community was as an issue. Consequently, Britain ordered that the almost totally Protestant police reserve force, known as the ‘B Specials’, which was notorious for the way that it dealt with republican activists, was to be disbanded.

In January 1970 the ‘B Specials’ force was replaced by the setting up of a new British Army reserve: The Ulster Defence Regiment. It encouraged Roman Catholic recruitment, and was initially successful, with some 30% up-take. That fell away to almost nothing, however, as British treatment of the Republican community continued to be grossly unjust…

In the mid-1960s The Reverend Ian Paisley was a key figure in staunch Protestant / loyalist opposition to Roman Catholic / republican civil rights in Ulster. The 1970 General Election in the UK saw Ian Paisley elected as a member of the UK Parliament - representing the Protestant Unionist Party (PUP). In 1971 he and fellow Unionist, Desmond Boal, set up The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to promote the most conservative and uncompromising policies in support of the loyalist community.

The 1970 UK General Election, on Thursday, 18 June, was won by Edward Heath’s Conservative Party; ending 6 years of Labour rule under Harold Wilson. As well as escalating conflict in Northern Ireland, Heath’s government would face an oil crisis in the Middle East that would severely undermine Western economies and energy supplies.

Furthermore, the Heath government's right of centre approach to British industry and industrial relations with the workforce would be the cause of very assertive Trade Union activity – and the rise of Trade Union power in Britain throughout the 1970s.

THE USA AND CANADA

In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected President of the USA on a promise to scale back and ultimately end US involvement in the Vietnam War, with the political soundbite: ‘peace with honour'… But by 1970 it was clear that this was to be achieved by aggressive posturing and action: in February he ordered the resumption of the bombing of the so-called Ho Chi Minh trail: the military supply line between North and South Vietnam.

March saw a significant development in the status of war in the region; Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia (who was known to be in talks with North Vietnam, as he anticipated North Vietnamese victory) was deposed by General Lon Nol. The Prince took refuge with the communist rebels, the Khmer Rouge, led by a then little known commander, named Pol Pot. These developments led to U.S and South Vietnamese incursions into Cambodia – and an escalation of the war in the region…

But in the USA and around the world, that escalation was met with escalated protest – and that protest was becoming increasingly aggressive… The War and protest situation was becoming fraught with tension – ironically, both the US government and the protestors were seeking an end to the US involvement in the war – and by the fastest means; but distrust and disdain of each other meant that no compromise could be reached in terms of understanding each other’s methods and motives…

In Canada, not a country known for aggressive action or protest, the separatist movement in the French speaking province of Quebec was gaining momentum – but with it, a para-military terrorist fringe, Front de liberation du Quebec, which carried out terrorist activity which resulted in Quebec being briefly brought under Martial Law in October.

POLAND

In Poland, the shipyard workers of Gdansk went on strike in protest against the cost of living and the state of the economy. As Poland was a communist country, at the time effectively a satellite state of the Soviet Union, where strike action was banned, was, in effect, a protest against communist rule and Soviet over lordship…

THE MIDDLE EAST

The Israel / Palestine conflict in the Middle East had reached new level of crisis after the Six Day War of 1967, in which Israel routed the combined forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, – and captured the Sinai Desert from Egypt; the Golan Heights from Syria and, most controversially, the Palestinian territory on the West Bank of the River Jordan – including Jerusalem – from Jordanian administration Tension was further fuelled by the election, in 1968, of hawkish leaders of Israel (Golda Meyer), and the Palestinian resistance group (The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)) (Yasser Arafat). In 1970 the situation took a new and damaging twist – when, in September, Jordan began the process of expelling Palestinian resistance fighters from its territory.

Jordan had taken in Palestinians fleeing Israeli persecution after the occupation of the West Bank, but now it considered the refugees’ leadership to have set up a ‘state within a state’, and acted to expel the militants. The events are recorded in the history of the region as Black September. A break-away Palestinian terror group, taking that name, declared itself openly hostile to Jordan and to the West. It would go on to be responsible for some of the worst terror attacks in the 1970s.

In 1969 Egypt had begun what it called a ‘War of Attrition’ against Israel: not a full-on invasion, but concentrated shelling; strategic commando raids, and air strikes – to try to wear Israel down and force it to surrender the Sinai Desert – captured from Egypt during 1967’s Six Day War. The conflict was concluded by a ceasefire, as a result of the death of the Egyptian leader, President Nasser. His successor, President Sadat, attempted more diplomatic means (as well as military means) in his handling of the Arab – Israeli conflict.

CHILE

In Chile, South America, the Marxist government of Salvador Allende was democratically elected. Democracy or not, during the insanity and paranoia of Cold War politics and conflict this did not play well in Washington DC. America could not countenance ‘another Cuba’ on its doorstep… It is widely believed that US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) subterfuge instigated the later military coup d'état that brutally removed the communist regime in 1973.

WOMEN’S LIBERATION

Women’s liberation had made great advances during the 1960s; groups such as Women’s Liberation and (founded in 1964) and the National Organisation for Women (NOW) (formed in 1966, invited and received enthusiastic support from men. The US Civil Rights Act of 1964 granted new freedoms to women; and in 1964 Senator Margaret Chase became the first woman to run for a Presidential nomination (from the Republican Party).

But by the late 1960s attitudes were changing within Women’s Liberation – and an edge of militancy, and anti-male resentment was emerging. In 1970 the slogan: ‘We’re Not Beautiful. We’re Not Ugly. We’re Angry’ was used in demonstrations. The issue was about female role models and how women were portrayed in the media. It was a fair point – but, I suggest, the new anti-male strategy, which was alienating male support and causing yet more conflict in society, was ill advised, and would grow more and more aggressive as the 1970s proceeded…

GAY LIBERATION

The gay community too had made great advances during the 1960s; gay sexuality had been decriminalised in Britain in 1967; in the USA the same freedom was a long slow process, enforced State by State – but it began in 1962.

However, decriminalised was a long way from freely legal, and longer still from social acceptance. In 1969 strong-arm tactics by the police in raiding the New York City gay quarter (centred on the Stonewall bar), resulted in the Stonewall riots – a key event in the history of gay liberation protest. It led to the formation of The Gay Liberation Front.

In 1970 in the UK The Gay Liberation Front In London was formed. The GLF was to organise demos and protests in the support of the rights of gay people throughout the 1970s.

1970 was shaping up aggressively… Any good news..? Certainly – read on…!

THE SPACE RACE

The saying goes that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ – well, I say add to that: ‘conflict and competition is the mother of necessity…’, and, in that light, The Cold War was the father and mother of necessity – and many breakthroughs...

The Space Race in particular fuelled innovation. The Soviet Union started the 1960s ahead, with the Sputnik satellite, and then Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space. But by 1969, the USA had taken the lead, with the Apollo 11 mission that put humans on the Moon – and followed that up by doing it again with Apollo 12 the same year…

In 1970, The Soviet Union (perhaps not interested in being SECOND in the manned Moon mission race) put the first remote controlled rover on the moon, with the Luna 17 mission. Eager to get ahead again, the Soviets also landed an inter-planetary probe, when Venera 13 landed on Venus, and transmitted data, including the first colour photographs from another planet, for several minutes, before succumbing to the harsh conditions on the planet.

There was high drama for the American space programme – and for the world – when the third Moon mission, Apollo 13, developed serious problems while the capsule was en-route to the Moon. The world held its breath… And rejoiced when the capsule and crew were brought safely back to earth.

MOVIES, TV, LITERATURE

In 1970 the deeply moving and eye-opening history book ‘Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee’ (Dee Brown), was published. It gives an account of the life of the Native Americans and America’s so-called ‘Indian Wars’ from the Native perspective: in a way that re-wrote the western understanding of history, in particular, of course, the history of the European colonisation of North America and the impact that it had upon the indigenous peoples…

The book is refreshingly balanced, and describes the Native American peoples as being practical and realistic about the incursion of European settlers arrival and occupation of the North American continent; they are aware of their limitations in ability to resist the occupation; and are also impressed by European technology and advancements - and willing to learn from them. The tribes seek only respect for their own way of life and their right to a fair and adequate share of the land...

It was the failure of the American government to be true to these agreements and to respect treaties - and respect the native peoples - that caused the conflicts with the Native Americans of the Western territories - and the tragedies that followed...

The 1970 movies ‘Soldier Blue’ ‘Little Big Man’ and ‘A Man Called Horse’ took up the theme – describing Native American life and culture, and the brutal treatment of the tribes by the western settlers.

The teaching of History was opening up through modern culture – and, I suggest motivated by The Vietnam War, Western / European attitudes towards, and involvements with, other cultures was now open to scrutiny, and was being being laid bare…

On the small screen, two great comedies debuted: from the US, the TV version of Neil Simon’s ‘The Odd Couple’ – which, I think, set the template for American Sit-Com’s from then on; and from the UK, ‘The Goodies’ – a whacky satire / Sit-Com, from the same stable of modern British satire that had given the world David Frost; Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, and Monty Python.

MUSIC

Well – The Beatles split up… On reflection, I say we can call this good news: the band split, but on the split was built immortality, and from that the legend was born, and grew… Also – the individual members were free to grow and express their talents. From my own George Harrison fan point of view – that was a very good thing indeed… Plus – they quit on with the album, ‘Let It Be’ – which was going out on a high note…

The the music of 1970 was all about the rise and rise of album domination – a great year for albums. Music will be covered in a separate article, but my pick of the most significant and relevant release (from an outstanding crop), would be Simon and Garfunkel’s final bow: ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.

The singles charts (in the UK anyway) were, in my opinion, not so hot during 1970 – but the high points were sky high: singles like, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’; ‘Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’; Purple’s ‘Black Night’; Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’; Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Chile’ – etc…

‘Voodoo Chile’ was released after the tragic death of Jimi Hendrix; it topped the UK charts…

The big gig event of 1970 was The Isle of Wight Festival in August. It featured a fabulous line up, including Hendrix; Rory Gallagher; Miles Davis; Joni Mitchell; Jethro Tull…

Yes folks – that was 1970: the music was getting better and better… But the revolution, while gaining confidence, was going from more and more assertive… to angry and aggressive…

And so begins the ‘Chronicles’ year by year review of the 1970s… Buckle-up folks – this is gonna be a ROCKY ride… in every sense of the word…

(I found the images used in this collage on-line. My acknowledgement and thanks to whoever made them / owns them (identity unknown to me).

(M).

Textual content: ©Copyright MLM Arts 23. 12. 2017. Edited and re-posted: 15. 02. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 06. 02. 2020. Edited and re-posted: 25. 02. 2023

PROTESTS AND ACTION FOR CHANGE 1970

1970 set the tone for what was going to be a 1970s decade where aggression and violence became more and more the means and the action by which protest was expressed and social and political changes pursued…

High profile demonstrations included: pro-Republican protests and action in Northern Ireland; pro-Loyalist protests and action in Northern Ireland; women’s working rights protests; women’s status and public respect protests (against the Miss world beauty pageant); pro-abortion protests; anti-abortion protests; Gay rights protests; workers rights protests in communist Poland; separatist protests and action in Quebec, Canada; the emergence of the Palestinian paramilitary guerrilla group, Black September, and its declaration of war against the West and against Jordan; anti-Vietnam – Cambodia War protests in the USA; protests of outrage against the killing of anti-war protestors at Kent State University, Ohio, by National Guard troops…

Protest in music too, became more bullish – and also less subtle, and not so well judged.

I said in the article ‘Politics And The Cold War – 1970’ – it was becoming difficult to know what to decide what to regard as ‘Politics’, and what to regard as ‘Protest’…

THE UK PROVINCE OF ULSTER (Northern Ireland).

Ulster was to be a major focus for conflict and protest throughout the 1970s (and well beyond that). This latest conflict between Irish Roman Catholics (who were traditionally republican), and the British Loyalist Irish Protestant majority in the province, began in the late 1960s as a peaceful protest by the Roman Catholic community, for the civil rights that they were denied by the ruling Protestant – Loyalist majority. But violent reaction by the Loyalists (who regarded the Roman Catholics as a kind of ‘Fifth Column’ of the Roman Catholic dominated Irish Republic – which was sworn to reclaim Ulster for Ireland), resulted in the campaign degenerating into violence. The paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), took the field, armed for civil conflict. British troops had to be sent to Ulster in 1969, to restore law and order. They were to remain there for several decades…

The complexity of the conflict was already beginning to result in splits with the ranks on both sides. In December 1969, the Provisional IRA broke away from (what would, from then on be known as) the Official IRA – and geared-up to pursue a more aggressive armed struggle against British occupation of Ulster. It would adopt the slogan ‘By the ballot, or by the bullet’: meaning that, if its political wing, Provisional Sinn Fein, could not win Ireland via the election process (unlikely, given the Loyalist majority of some 2 -1), then they would win by armed conflict against British troops. From 1970 onward, the Provisional IRA (dubbed PIRA or ‘Provos’), would become the dominant force on the Republican side…

The Republican side in this civil conflict was winning the propaganda and image war. The Loyalists and British were seen as oppressors and anachronistic colonialists; the Republicans, as ‘freedom fighters’ – more in the image of Hemmingway’s depiction of fighters in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. In Boston, USA in 1970, there was a march of solidarity with the republican cause. The USA, particularly Boston and New York City (which both have a significant Irish-American community), remained a fertile ground for sympathy and fund raising for the Republicans, throughout the British – Irish ‘Troubles’…

Meanwhile, the Loyalist image and propaganda machine was centred on the Protestant evangelist and Loyalist politician, The Reverend Ian Paisley. Paisley was an Establishment figure – with a booming, authoritarian voice, and an uncompromising manner – and ideology. He’d been elected to the UK Parliament in 1970, representing the Protestant Unionist Party (PUP) – and was soon the charismatic leader of Loyalist Protestant resistance to Republicanism.

1n 1970, he led a march against the rise of Republicanism in Ulster. Although it played well with his own supporters, it was a propaganda and public relations ‘own goal’ – and set the tone for how Loyalist were regarded worldwide from then on.

Though it’s undeniable that the Loyalists treatment of the Roman Catholic community was grossly unjust, and they should have acknowledged that, the Loyalists did, all the same, have some legitimate points on their side: not least the fact that they resisted any move to reunite the province with an Irish Republic that was dominated, politically and socially, by the Roman Catholic Church; was, consequently, strictly denied the social freedoms that were being won in the West; was the most impoverished country in Western Europe; and was hostile to the Protestant, Loyalist community.

But the Paisley led protest march struck a tyrannical, uncompromising note – which focussed on archaic religious issues and denial of rights to Roman Catholics. Banners proclaiming: ‘Jesus Saves – Rome Enslaves!’ and ‘No To Civil Rights!’ were seen on the march. It seemed that the Loyalists were not even trying to get across the reasonable concerns that they had – instead, they were just making an aggressive assertion of their authority…

In-between these two sides, the British Army was tasked with preventing all-out civil war… But, internationally, it was seen as an occupying force. In the course of the conflict, decisions by the British government, and certain actions by British Army, would serve only to compound that view…

(More: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Official_Irish_Republican... https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/.../in-pictures... https://www.irishtimes.com/.../a-spotlight-on-us-role-in... ).

PALESTINE / ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST: BLACK SEPTEMBER

The Israel / Palestine conflict in the Middle East had reached a new level of crisis after the Six Day War of 1967, in which Israel routed the combined forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, – and captured the Sinai Desert from Egypt; the Golan Heights from Syria and, most controversially, the Palestinian territory on the West Bank of the River Jordan – including Jerusalem – from Jordanian administration. Palestinians native to the West Bank territory fled Israeli occupation, and were given sanctuary in Jordan.

The Palestinian resistance was led by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), led by its hawkish, charismatic leader, Yasser Arafat.

However, the Jordanian government became increasingly concerned that the Palestinians were establishing ‘a State within a State’ on Jordanian territory. The situation was greatly aggravated by PLO actions around the world - in particular the hi-jacking of aircraft, which were then forced to redirect to Jordan. King Hussien described the hi-jackers as: "the shame of the Arab world" in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.

The hi-jackings brought reprisals from Israel against Palestinians in Jordanian territory. King Hussien warned Yasser Arafat that if PLO activity didn’t cease, there would be consequences…

In September 1970, King Hussien ordered military action against Palestinians in various towns in Jordan – and began the process of expelling Palestinian resistance fighters from Jordanian territory. The war to expel the Palestinians would continue into 1971. The PLO relocated, mainly in Lebanon.

As a result of this action by the Jordanian government, a splinter group, called Black September, emerged from the PLO, and embarked upon an extreme campaign of paramilitary / terrorist activity against Israel, it’s Western backers and supporters, and Jordan. Black September was to become one of the most notorious groups involved in conflict during the early 1970s.

(More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_September http://news.bbc.co.uk/.../17/newsid_4575000/4575159.stm http://adst.org/2015/07/jordans-black-september-1970/ )

CANADA / QUEBEC

Canada was (and still is) one of the countries that has a territorial dispute and a separatist movement campaigning for independence. The province of Quebec is the only French speaking province out of all Canada’s 14 provinces. Quebec was French up until France lost the so-called 7 Years War against Great Britain (1756 - 1763): which gave GB colonial control over North America… Until the American Revolution (1976 - 1783), after which the 13 British colonies on east coast on American gained independence, but British territories in Canada remained British control – including former French colony, Quebec, which the French had conceded to Great Britain in 1763.

Ever since falling under British Empire rule in 1763 (and later, under Canadian rule, as part of an independent Canada within the British Commonwealth (1967)), Quebec has asserted its distinctive, culturally and linguistically French identity – which has included an active independence movement. In the 1960s several groups coalesced into a singular political movement, Parti Québécois, to campaign for sovereignty and political independence.

Separate from the political campaign groups, a Marxist separatist group, , Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) operated from the early 1960s until 1970. In October 1970 the FLQ carried out the notorious kidnap of Quebec Government cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte and the British diplomat James Cross. These acts of terror resulted in Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, imposing Martial Law in Quebec –War Measures Act. Minister Laporte was murdered by the group; Mr. Cross’s release was successfully negotiated.

Five members of the FQL cell responsible – the Chenier Cell – fled Canada for Cuba and France. One remained in Montreal – but was arrested in 1980. The FQL was undermined by the failure of this campaign, and was dissolved in 1970 – and finally ceased to exist in 1971. Quebec’s campaign for recognition of its cultural distinctiveness, however, continued, politically, as did (and does) a political campaign for independence.

(More: http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/.../front-de.../ )

POLAND: SHIPYARD STRIKE

In eastern European countries that under Soviet domination, as part of the Warsaw Pact alliance, protesting was a dangerous and difficult venture – as had been demonstrated by The Sprague Spring revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1968, and by other, smaller scale protests in the Soviet Union itself.

In 1970 the shipyard workers in Gdansk staged a strike / protest against poor wages and the rising cost of living in the stagnant Marxist economy that Poland was living under. As with previous protests against authority in the Soviet bloc, the strike was met by violent action by the government, which sent in troops to confront the strikers. At the Gdynia shipyard, 42 strikers were killed by troops, in what is recorded as The Gdynia Massacre…

(More: http://www.thenews.pl/.../121690,1970-Gdynia-massacre-of... )

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

On August 26, 1970, women in the USA staged a national strike, aimed at raising the issue of women’s rights – in particular, the scandalous situation of women’s pay rates compared to men – where women were being paid less than men – even when doing the same job, or a more skilled job; and also the issue of lack of opportunities for women in the workplace.

Besides protesting theses causes, The Women’s Strike for Equality also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passing of the USA’s Nineteenth Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote.

In the UK in 1970, Women’s Rights centred on changing the accepted perception of women in society, and a woman’s role in society. A high profile way of achieving focus on this, was by targeting the highly popular annual beauty pageant – The Miss World Contest: to the Women’s Liberation movement, it encapsulated all that was wrong with how women were perceived by society.

In 1970, The Miss World Contest, staged at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, was targeted for protest by the Women's Liberation Organisation, which referred to the event as a 'cattle market'. A key slogan in their protest was: 'We're Not Beautiful. We're Not Ugly. We're Angry.'

That year, the contest was to be hosted by American Hollywood superstar Bob Hope.

While some protestors matched outside the venue, others snuck in, as legitimate ticket holders. During the production, Bob Hope made somewhat crude, lewd, and misogynistic jokes, some in mockery of the Women's Liberation protest. That prompted a signal from the protest coordinator for the protest to begin...

Hope was heckled with wailing sounds; flour bombs were thrown at the stage; and some protestors attempted to storm the stage.

Bob Hope fled backstage as the protestors were ejected from the hall by security. He returned later, and the contest ran its course... But the protest proved to be a huge publicity success for the Women's Liberation Organisation.

(More: http://time.com/4008060/women-strike-equality-1970/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Strike_for_Equality http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../miss-world-my-protest-at-1970... )

PRO-ABORTION PROTESTS and PRO-LIFE PROTESTS

PRO_ABORTION

It wasn’t until 1967 that UK Liberal Party Member of Parliament, David Steel, sponsored an Act of Parliament (The Abortion Act), to make abortion legal in the UK for the first time – but only in situations where the mother’s life was at risk. The Act became law in 1968. Up to then, women who, for various reasons, often due to financial hardship; physical and / or emotional frailty; social stigma (from giving birth to an illegitimate child, in an age when that was socially unacceptable), were not able to cope with birthing and raising a child, had to seek ‘back street’, illegal abortionists, and all the risks to their life that such untrained and unhygienic practices entailed. Both the illegal abortionist and the woman were guilty of crimes in this situation.

In the USA abortion was also illegal, but there had been State by State legislation concerning the control of illegal abortions since the 19th Century – which mainly criminalised the provider, but not the woman. Legislation legalising abortion (under certain circumstances) would not become law in the USA until 1973. Campaigning for abortion was active up to that point, and continues to the present day, with the aim of making abortion increasingly easier to obtain.

The August 26th, 1970 Women’s Liberation strike and demonstration action, a march on NYCs Fifth Avenue included a protested for free abortion on demand.

In Canada in 1970, the Abortion Caravan was formed by some members of the Women’s Caucus in Vancouver, in response to 1969 amendments to the legalising of abortion, which imposed restrictions on abortion availability. In April they set out in a caravan of vehicles, from Vancouver to the Canadian capital in Ottawa, gathering support as they went, as a demonstration in support of their protest.

By 1970 the pro-abortion movement was gaining momentum, and would continue to do so…

ANTI-ABORTION / PRO-LIFE

The ant-abortion (aka pro-life) movement had existed in a low profile, not very demonstrative way up to the late 1960s – early 1970s – the obvious reason being that it already had the law on its side, with abortion being illegal. The pro-life movement assert that its motivation was not against women, or against freedom, but rather, it’s a movement in support of the defenceless, voiceless, and unrepresented: the unborn child. They insist that other alternatives to abortion are available, and should be used, wherever possible.

With the question of legalising abortion becoming increasingly high profile by the late 1960s – and its being made legal in the UK in 1968 – the pro-life movement was being spurred into more active and public demonstration. In 1970, Professor Albert Liley, a New Zealand foetal surgeon, founded the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), he became a leading demonstrator in the cause of the pro-life campaign.

As the 1970s progressed, the pro-abortion movement achieved success – and continued (and still continues) to press for more. The pro-life movement responded with a more and more high profile and active campaign. As time went by, these two sides' ideological clashes have become increasingly bitter – with both sides using extreme emotional rhetoric and propaganda to vilify the other…

The abortion issue was to be another ‘battle ground’ in 1970s protest…

(More: https://dailyhistory.org/When_did_abortion_become_legal... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion-rights_movements https://en.wikipedia.org/.../United_States_pro-life_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherish_Life_Queensland http://activehistory.ca/.../the-women-are-coming-the.../ https://nzhistory.govt.nz/.../anti-abortion-march-wellington )

GAY LIBERATION

In June 1969 heavy handed action by the police against the gay community in New York City resulted in the first significant Gay rights action, recorded in history as The Stonewall Riots – named after the Stonewall Gay bar, which was central to the events. On June 28th, 1970 – one year after these events – the first ever Gay Pride Parade was held – in Central Park, New York City.

Om August 31st 1970, a Gay Liberation and Gay Activist alliance march in NYC, from Times Square to Greenwich Village, descended into violence…

(Further reading: https://edition.cnn.com/.../tbt-first-pride.../index.html http://www.nydailynews.com/.../gay-pride-movement-new... )

THE USA: STUDENT PROTESTS

In 1970, anti-war protest in America – and the responses to them by the authorities – highlighted how the growing confidence and bullishness of the 1960s youth and cultural revolution, was descending into aggression, conflict and violence – and was being met by the same…

In the late 1960s the leader of Cambodia, Prince Norodom Sihanouk , had for some time been courting friendly relations with North Vietnam – much to America’s chagrin. In March, 1970, a military coup ousted the prince, who took refuge with communist rebels. In the course of this civil war, America sent troops into Cambodia, to assist that country’s military regime. It was a decision that infuriated anti-war protestors. In May 1970 mass demonstrations were held across the USA – particularly by students.

One particular incident changed the whole dynamic of the student anti-war protests: the shooting and killing of four students by Ohio National Guardsmen, at Kent State University, on May 4th…

Tension was building in the USA, as anti-war protests were become more intense – and there was violence in some cases. In the town of Kent, Ohio, on May 1st demonstrators thaw missiles at the police, who were attempting to contain the protest. On May 2nd the town mayor requested that Governor James A. Rhodes send the Ohio National Guard – and this was done. When they arrived, the campus’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) (military training centre) building was on fire (it's not known how the fire started). The situation bristled with aggression – and the consequences were to be tragic – and sadly, fatal: during conflict between demonstrators and National Guardsmen on May 4th – four students were shot and killed…

Across America the reaction to the killings was shock; and demonstrations in memory of the fallen – and in rage against the authorities were staged by students, and by other members of the public- including a march, some 100,000 strong, in Washington DC. It was, perhaps, the intensity of feeling caused by this action against student demonstrators, that motivated President Nixon to take the extreme, and unconventional, measure, of secretly meeting with the demonstrators at the Lincoln Memorial, in the early hours of May 9th…

(More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_strike_of_1970 http://www.history.com/.../students-launch-nationwide... http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Kent_State_Shootings https://edition.cnn.com/.../nixon-lincoln.../index.html )

MUSIC OF PROTEST

The music of protest was something else that was changing, and becoming more bullish and demanding, on the one hand, with anti-war anthems, such as ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Hand of Doom’, on the Black Sabbath album ‘Paranoid’, and the Edwin Starr single, 'War'; but on the other hand, also poorly judged and partisan, seeing only one side of complex, multifaceted situations, in some cases – such as, Paul McCartney’s ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’, and John L'ennon's 'The Luck Of The Irish'. Both of these songs dealt with the situation in Northern Ireland - but took a partisan view which, in the case of the McCartney song, disregarded the situation of the Loyalist community; and in the Lennon song, disregarded the role of the British Army in Northern Ireland in 1970: sent there to prevent all-out civil war…

CONCLUSION: 1970: THE BEGINNING OF A DECADE WHEN PARTISAN ATTITUDES, AGGRESSION AND CONFLICT WOULD, INCREASINGLY, BE USED AS THE MEANS OF PROTEST

Peace, pacifism and anti-war; civil rights; racial equality, women’s rights; gay rights; social rights of equality for people from all backgrounds – those were the causes – easily identified by any reasonable person as being unquestionably righteous – that were campaigned for – successfully (at least in terms of being set in motion) – by the youth social and cultural revolution of the 1960s…

But by the late 1960s, that success was already bringing with it a confident bullishness; and more aggressive, often violent means of demonstrating… By 1970, demand for basic rights applicable to all, was becoming increasingly splintered into particular groups and distinctive causes – which demanded rights that chimed with their particular wants and needs – even if they went against the wants, needs, and sensitivities of others… And more and more, anger, aggression and conflict was being employed as the means to achieve goals that were for a particular ‘good’ – but not necessarily for the common good…

The 1970s was to be a decade marked by social and civil strife…

(M).

Textual content: ©Copyright: MLM Arts 12. 02. 2018. Edited and re-posted: 21. 02. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 13. 02. 2020

1970: Raising the alarm about ecological and environmental concerns...? Yep - our era (and our generation) was first to do that too...

This is a Herblock cartoon from the year that we are currently revisiting: 1970. (My acknowledgement and thanks to Herblock. )

Y'see, I reckon that the problem today is, that all the really big and relevant issues that were truly worthy of protesting and raising the alarm about - racism, sexism, homophobia, inequalities of all kinds, war, war-mongering - and the environment - were all dealt with in our era and by our generation: we got them on the agenda and set change in motion...

Still a work in progress - but it's down to us that the progress is underway...

So, modern youth have nothing new to campaign for or against - nothing truly relevant and worthy, anyway...

The result is, that either issues are just invented - or small issues exaggerated... Or, and this seems quite prevalent: it seems to me, personally, that there's a policy of trying to rewrite history to make like our generation didn't actually do anything to challenge these wrongs and iniquities; and to claim that people of our generation are, instead, wholly responsible for causing them...

...And present the claim that younger generations are the ones who are the first to challenge these wrongs and iniquities...

It's pretty infuriating at times - because it's so entirely wrong - and seems to me to be a cynical, manipulative rewriting of history - for cynical, divisive purposes...

'Chronicles' exists for the purpose of trying to do something to set the record straight...

Discuss...?

Textual content: ©Copyright: MLM Arts 24. 02. 2023

1970: THE YEAR THAT THE MODERN WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT STARTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT...

This is a very good overview video of the importance of 1970 to women's liberation.

The movement is also discussed in 'Chronicles' articles on 1970 (look out for the soon to be edited and reposted article 'Protest For Change - 1970).

In particular focus, is an event that I remember watching on TV that year - the annual (at the time, 'must watch' primetime family viewing) 'Miss World Contest' - held in London.

The 1970 event featured a history making protest by Women's Libbers: the flour bombing of the stage - while superstar celebrity host, Bob Hope, was on-stage at the time...

Leading up to the contest that year, there had been protests about it - describing it as being like a 'cattle market'.

The protest was planned, organised and coordinated - with protestors smuggling themselves into the audience by being 'disguised' as... well, as members of the audience: that's to say, not looking like feminist protestors...

Bob Hope made very ill-advised, misogynistic 'jokes' about the protests - and misogynistic' jokes' generally...

Cue the bags of flour hurtling down from the the protestors in the audience and 'exploding' in a cloud of dust on the stage... Hope was hurried backstage - clearly shaken...

He returned to the stage once the protestors had been huckled out by security - and made a rousing speech of the 'disrupting such beautiful event... blah-blah-blah...' sort...

It's reported that some of the contestant voiced their support for the protestors when they saw them being wrestled out of the building by security - shouting st the security people for their rough treatment of the women...

Anyway - it was all part of the year that The Women's Liberation Movement really took off - 1970...

And hey - the equality if women was a great thing - for both women AND men alike: it freed men from expectations and burdens placed upon them by Establishment conventions - and made for relationships between men and women to be based on a more equal and therefore relaxed foundation...

That's my tuppence worth - sounds like a subject for an interesting discussion...?

Textual content: ©Copyright MLM Arts 08. 03. 2023. edited 22. 03. 2023

1970: MAY 4th. : THE U.S KENT STATE UNIVERSITY PROTESTS - AND THE VIOLENT, FATAL REACTION BY THE AUTHORITIES...

This is a political cartoon from 1973, that appeared in the satirical magazine 'National Lampoon' - about a notorious event that took place in the year that we are currently revisiting: 1970...

Satire has always been a powerful means of protesting against authority - but its delivery has to carefully and skilfully judged and timed. It would have been wholly inappropriate for 'National Lampoon' to have published this criticism of the events any time soon after they happened... But to leave too long a gap would risk the impact being diluted by public apathy (which, let's be honest, happens... )

The cartoon is satirical take on adverts that used to appear in DC comics: for a toy soldier set, based on the American Revolution: American Blue Coat revolutionary soldiers - vs. the more powerful British Red Coat Establishment forces...

I bought DC comics in the UK, and I remember these adverts well...

The clever satirical take on the advert is (obviously) a reversal of roles: the US troops are the against the more numerous student protestors - and are ironically still being portrayed as the heroic 'good guys': which is how the story was presented by the Establishment...

But not by public opinion...

Here is the 'Chronicles' overview of the events, in this extract of the recently reposted article: 'Protest And Action For Change - 1970':

'...One particular incident changed the whole dynamic of the student anti-war protests: the shooting and killing of four students by Ohio National Guardsmen, at Kent State University, on May 4th…

Tension was building in the USA, as anti-war protests were become more intense – and there was violence in some cases. In the town of Kent, Ohio, on May 1st demonstrators threw missiles at the police, who were attempting to contain the protest. On May 2nd the town mayor requested that Governor James A. Rhodes send the Ohio National Guard – and this was done. When they arrived, the campus’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) (military training centre) building was on fire (it's not known how the fire started). The situation bristled with aggression – and the consequences were to be tragic – and sadly, fatal: during conflict between demonstrators and National Guardsmen on May 4th – four students were shot and killed…

Across America the reaction to the killings was shock; and demonstrations in memory of the fallen – and in rage against the authorities were staged by students, and by other members of the public- including a march, some 100,000 strong, in Washington DC...'

This cartoon is another valuable historical document from this era - and shows the power of satire in challenging the Establishment.

Textual content: ©Copyright MLM Arts 17. 03. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 22. 03. 2023

POLITICS AND THE COLD WAR: 1970

The 1960s social and cultural revolution had begun with peaceful and persuasive demonstrations and appeals for freedoms, equality – and for peaceful ways to resolve humanity’s problems. These appeals were expressed in the music and other modern culture that was emerging at the time…

By the middle of the 1960s the message was getting through – and going mainstream, with celebrities, the media, some politicians – and the mainstream population getting on-board…

But with this success came a confidence that was growing into bullishness; and into aggression; and, by the late 1960s, into the rise of violence…

The 1960s ended on a note of great triumph and optimism for the cause of the social and cultural revolution… But the bullishness, the aggression, and the violence that had started to emerge in the latter years of that decade was also growing – and by 1970 it was beginning to take over…

From 1970 onwards, it became difficult in some cases to distinguish what was protest and what was politics – as political conniving and manipulation were beginning to drive an increasingly violent agenda, and protest groups seemed emboldened by the successes of popular protest – and, it seemed, encouraged to more aggressive and violent methods to accelerate that success. Protest was becoming increasingly politicized - and driven by confrontation and conflict…

THE UK

The 1970 UK General Election, on Thursday, 18 June, was won by Edward Heath’s Conservative Party; ending 6 years of Labour rule under Harold Wilson. Heath’s government would face both escalating conflict in Northern Ireland, and an oil crisis in the Middle East that would severely undermine Western economies and energy supplies. Its right of centre approach to British industry and industrial relations with the workforce would be the cause of very assertive Trade Union activity – and the rise of Trade Union power in Britain throughout the 1970s.

In the British ruled province of Ulster, a Roman Catholic / Irish Republican civil rights movement had begun peacefully in 1968, but, faced with aggressive Protestant / British Loyalist opposition, soon slid into violence and a terrorist stand-off between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and various Loyalist terror groups – with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the British Army standing between the two.

In 1969 the UK government had disbanded the Ulster police reserve force, known as the ‘B Specials’ – as it was almost totally Protestant / Loyalist, and was despised by the Roman Catholic / Republicans for its heavy-handed treatment of their community. In January 1970 the ‘B Specials’ force was replaced by the setting up of a new British Army reserve: The Ulster Defence Regiment. It encouraged Roman Catholic recruitment, and was initially successful, with some 30% up-take. That fell away to almost nothing, however, as British treatment of the Republican community continued to be grossly unjust.

Tensions were heightened when The Reverend Ian Paisley – a Protestant evangelist and firebrand Loyalist – was elected to the UK parliament in 1970, representing the Protestant Unionist Party (PUP), promising loudly and demonstrably to represent Loyalist interests in the most conservative and uncompromising terms.

1970 was to be a pivotal year for change in Northern Ireland’s politics. It saw the formation of the moderate Loyalist political party, The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland; the moderate Republican Party, The Social and Democratic and Labour Party; and the re-emergence of the hard-line Republican party, Sinn Fein [Irish Gaelic for ‘We Ourselves'].

The British / Irish ‘Troubles’ was to be a high profile conflict throughout the 1970s and beyond…

(More: ‘The British – Irish Troubles’ (‘Chronicles photo album: ‘Politics, Society and the Quest for Change’.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_in_Northern_Ireland ).

THE USA and THE VIETNAM / CAMBODIA WAR

In the USA, President Nixon, who was elected in 1968 on a promise to scale back and ultimately end US involvement in the Vietnam War, using the political sound bite: ‘peace with honor’… But by 1970 it was clear that this was to be achieved by aggressive posturing and action. In February, he ordered the resumption of the bombing of the so-called Ho Chi Minh trail: the military supply line between North and South Vietnam, used by North Vietnam to supply the North Vietnamese Arny and the Viet Cong guerillas fighting in South Vietnam.

March saw a significant development in the status of war in the region; Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia (who was known to be in talks with North Vietnam, as he anticipated North Vietnamese victory) was deposed by General Lon Nol. The Prince took refuge with the communist rebels, the Khmer Rouge, led by a then little known commander, named Pol Pot. These developments led to U.S and South Vietnamese incursions into Cambodia – and an escalation of the war in the region…

On the other hand, the US government voted to rescind the special powers awarded to US Presidents in 1964, known as the ‘Gulf of Tonkien’ Resolution (a resolution that gave the President and government unlimited powers to act as he and his administration saw fit in the handling of the Vietnam War). Also, President Nixon announced plans to decrease US troop numbers in Vietnam by 150.000 within a year.

1970 saw the last major military action fought in Vietnam by US troops: Operation Jefferson Glenn, in Thua Thien Province.

Another positive policy by the US, was the end to defoliant spraying of Vietnamese jungles.

Meanwhile, peace talks between North Vietnam and the USA, which had been which had been on-going since 1968, although stalled, were in fact being privately continued between US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho.

In Paris Oct. 8th. , a communist delegation rejected U.S. President Richard Nixon's October 7 peace proposal as "a manoeuvre to deceive world opinion."

October 9 – The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia, which begins the Civil War with the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Republic was the right-wing pro–United States military-led republican government of Cambodia.

Politically, the Khmer Republic was headed by General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak that took power in the 18 March 1970 coup against Prince Norodom Sihanouk, then the country's head of state.

IIn overview, itt seems clear that President Nixon was attempting an ‘iron fist inside a velvet glove’ approach to Vietnam: there were concessions to troop de-escalation, and other measures – but also escalation in bombings, and incursions into Cambodia that escalated the war situation. In the USA and around the world, the Cambodian situation was the most high profile action, and it played badly with the public; it led to escalated protest – and that protest was becoming increasingly aggressive.
The Nixon government always displayed the utmost contempt for the anti-war protestors. On May 4th. resentment toward the government was greatly escalated, when National Guardsmen opened fire on protestors at Kent State University – killing four and wounding nine. 100.000 marched on Washington DC. In response, President Nixon made the astonishing – and it must be said, brave – decision to secretly meet with some of them at the Lincoln Memorial.

The War and protest situation was becoming fraught with tension – ironically, both the US government and the protestors were seeking an end to the US involvement in the war – and by the fastest means; but distrust and disdain of each other meant that no compromise could be reached in terms of understanding each other’s methods and motives…

Also in 1970 – North Vietnam chose to side with The USSR in the growing discord between the two major communist powers: The USSR and The People’s Republic of China.

(More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970#Events

Website: The History Place. The Vietnam War).

THE MIDDLE EAST

The Israel / Palestine conflict in the Middle East had reached new level of crisis after the Six Day War of 1967, in which Israel routed the combined forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, – and captured the Sinai Desert from Egypt; the Golan Heights from Syria and, most controversially, the Palestinian territory on the West Bank of the River Jordan – including Jerusalem – from Jordanian administration.

Tension was further fuelled by the election, in 1968, of hawkish leaders of Israel (Golda Meyer), and the Palestinian resistance group (The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)) (Yasser Arafat).

In 1970 the situation took a new twist, and one which added to the complexity of the situation, and introduced another element to the conflict – when, in September, Jordan began the process of expelling Palestinian resistance fighters from its territory.

Jordan had taken in Palestinians fleeing Israeli persecution after the occupation of the West Bank, but now it considered the refugees’ leadership to have set up a ‘state within a state’, and acted to expel the militants. The events are recorded in the history of the region as Black September. A break-away Palestinian terror group, adopting the name Black September, declared itself openly hostile to Jordan and to the West. It would go on to be responsible for some of the worst terror attacks in the 1970s.

EGYPT AND ISRAEL

In 1969 Egypt had begun what it called a ‘War of Attrition’ against Israel: not a full-on invasion, but concentrated shelling; strategic commando raids, and air strikes – to try to wear Israel down and force it to surrender the Sinai Desert – captured from Egypt during 1967’s Six Day War.

Egypt had suffered heavy losses during the Six Day War, but it recovered military capability rapidly, because of material and financial support from the Soviet Union, and by 1969 was able to prosecute its War of Attrition strategy. Israel, of course, retaliated in-kind. Both sides suffered significant losses during the campaign.

The conflict was concluded by a ceasefire, as a result of the death of the Egyptian leader, President Nasser, on 28 September 1970, Cairo.

In April this particular Egypt – Israeli conflict saw one of the most distressing atrocities committed in modern warfare, when an Israeli fighter-bomber aircraft bombed the Bahr el-Baqar primary [elementary] school in Egypt, killing 46 school children.

The Israelis later issued a statement saying that they had believed the school to be a military installation.

(More: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Bahr_El-Baqar_primary_school... https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-Attrition-1969-1970 )

CHILE

In 1970 Chile democratically elected the Marxist government of Salvador Allende. Democracy or not, during the insanity and paranoia of Cold War politics and conflict this did not play well in Washington DC. American Cold War policy could not countenance ‘another Cuba’ on its doorstep. It is widely believed that US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) subterfuge became involved in attempts to undermine and overthrow the Chilean Marxist government.

THE USSR

Political subterfuge was rife during the Cold War era – and all sides were, we may reasonably assume, involved in attempts to stir up ‘Fifth Column’ (dissident groups) trouble within the countries allied to their opponent’s ideology. But sometimes that could result in political ‘hot potato’ situations, in which guilt may be falsely suspected – and needed to be openly denied. In Quebec, Canada, a serious incident of armed protest by a Marxist Quebec separatists group took place (to be described in the coming article: ‘Protests for Change: 1970), which required swift diplomatic action by the Soviet Union (USSR), to dissociate itself from the rebels.

SOME POSITVES…

In 1970 the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which began negotiations in 1968, and was aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons, was agreed and signed. It is a document that is reviewed periodically, and remains the main means by which development and ownership of nuclear weapons are negotiated.

In the UK, in January 1970, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18. In a by-election in May, in the Bridgwater constituency, 18 – 20 year olds there became the first under 21s to vote in the UK. The General Election in June 1970 was the first General Election in which 18 – 20 year olds voted.

In June 1970, President Nixon began the process of lowering the voting age in the USA to 18, but it would only pass all due government processes and become law – America’s 26th Amendment – in 1971…

THE VIEW AHEAD…

Things boded badly for peace and political harmony in the world in 1970… The eagerness to end US involvements in the Vietnam War was clear – but the means of achieving that without seeming to have been defeated, was causing a confusion and desperation in the American handling of that war.

Around the world, terrorism was growing, as various separatist and ‘freedom fighting’ groups emerged to fight their cause… It may be surmised that they saw opportunities in the Cold War: to cosy-up to one side or other, to gain funds and supplies. It may be also, that the they saw opportunities to take advantage of what they saw as political vulnerability in powerful countries, when they saw how popular protest – which began peacefully in the 1960s – could be successful...??? And perhaps even more successful, when violent methods were used…???

The whole picture in 1970 set the scene for what was to be a decade that was, socially, politically and in terms of popular protest, very different from the 1960s… It was to be a decade of increasing anger and violence…

(M).

Textual content: ©Copyright MLM Arts 22. 01. 2018. Edited and re-posted: 18. 02. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 10. 02. 2020

CHRONICLING THE GOLDEN ERA:

PART XII: 1971

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS

19711971 was one of the most important and eventful years in the history of the social and cultural revolution of the 1960s and 70s. Major, history making, and history changing events happened in music and other culture; in politics; and in protest and action for change in the world...

1970 had shown that bullish, aggressive protest - and violence - was on the rise in the way that the social and cultural revolution was unfolding. That continued to be the case in 1971 - though, thankfully, that was counter-balanced, at least slightly, by some examples of a return to more peaceful, persuasive demonstration - and constructive, rather than destructive action.

The youth social and cultural revolution was by now well established: Rockers; Heads; Freaks; Flower Children; Hippies - and the casual fringe of these groups - the majority of people, who didn't particularly identify with any of these groups, but, perhaps, adopted traits of some or all of them - co-existed and mingled.

Common characteristics were: long hair (with guys and women); jeans - 'bell-bottom' style (in the UK, called 'flares'); platform shoes - or, for more casual comfort, soft leather 'desert boots' or baseball boots; for rough weather, some preferred Dr. Marten boots (though these were avoided by most 'longhairs', as they were associated with the emerging - but minority - violent, Skinhead faction of youth culture: which was a minority group that was, it might be said, a reaction against the Peace and Love culture of youth culture of of the 1960s, and was another example of how in the 1970s youth culture developed an aggressive edge...)

DEVELOPMENTS IN MUSIC

Mostly though, a love of music was common to all youth at the beginning of the 1970s: Heavy Rock; Prog. Rock; Country Rock; underground Folk Rock; Jazz Rock; Pop Rock; Reggae; R'n'B; Blues, Soul... In the age of new sounds, experimentation and innovation, and new ways of doing the older sounds like Folk, Jazz, Blues, and R'n'B, musical tastes were mix and match; intermingled; people were listening to a range of sounds, and were open to new developments...

Culturally, the UK remained the central focus for modern music, and the next wave of music served up for the next wave of the youth revolution (of which I was part - turning 13 in 1971) was Glam Rock.

It was created by erstwhile British Folk Rock underground music icon, Marc Bolan and his band, T. Rex, but other bands and artists on the fringes of big success, such as Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Slade, jumped aboard this sparkling, brightly coloured, sexually ambiguous, loud, power riffing - but lightweight - Rock image and genre, and some international superstars emerged from the Glam Rock vehicle...1971 was the year that gave the development of what was considered by then to be mature and sophisticated modern music its most significant direction changing shift since The Beatles redefined modern music with the album ‘Sgt. Pepper’, in 1967 - when Led Zeppelin took up the mantle of the now defunct Beatles as the world’s greatest and most influential band, with the release of the album ‘Led Zeppelin IV [alternatively referred to as: ‘Untitled’, or ‘Four Symbols’]. It was the album that would set the template for modern music for the early – mid 1970s…

EVENTS IN THE WORLD

In world events, sadly, the 1970s inclination towards aggression and conflict continued and accelerated...

THE VIETNAM / SOUTH EAST ASIA WAR

Having caused a stir of protest in 1970 by its invasion of Vietnam's neighbour, Cambodia (which was short lived), the President Nixon led USA fanned the flames of angry protest even more by assisting it's South Vietnamese ally in invading another neighbouring country, Laos; an action that escalate the war in the region...

PROTEST IN THE USA

The invasion inflamed anti-war feelings in the USA, which were already becoming angry. Protests and demos were staged; but there was also a violent response from the American (supposedly, ironically, anti-war) terror group, The Weather Underground (which had emerged in 1968), which was responsible for a bomb that exploded in the Capitol building in Washington DC.

NORTHERN IRELAND

In Northern Ireland, 'The Troubles' there - the latest flare-up in centuries of disputes in the province - began in 1969, as reasonable civil rights protests by the Republican / Roman Catholic minority, but soon degenerated into rioting and conflict between that community and the British Loyalist / Protestant majority - with the British Army in between to attempt to keep control.

In 1971, badly misjudged decisions by the Loyalist government in Ulster, most notably the introduction of internment without trial for terrorist suspects, which were backed by the British government in London, enraged the Republican community. The Loyalist Protestant evangelist and politician, The Reverend Ian Paisley, along with some fellow Loyalist extremists, set up the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), for the purpose of applying maximum, uncompromising political pressure against the Republican community.

The situation in Ulster degenerated further - into extreme violence and bloodshed...

THE MIDDLE EAST

In the Middle East, Egypt's President Sadat had attempted diplomacy with Israel, but, frustrated by its failure, declared that Egypt was prepared to resume hostilities with its neighbour.

THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

The Indian subcontinent was the scene of the most high profile conflict in 1971. Muslim East and West Pakistan were situated on opposite sides of what was once all India. In 1971 East Pakistan declared Independence - calling itself Bangladesh. The war that followed, saw India take the side of Bangladesh - and help that country to win the war and secure it's status as and independent country.

The devastation of the war (coming as it did only a year after a destructive cyclone had hit (then) East Pakistan), left famine, disease and misery for the people of Bangladesh...

POSITIVE ACTION IN THE WORLD

GEORGE HARRISON AND RAVI SHANKAR’S RESPONSE TO THE SUFFERING IN BANGLADESH

The major event in the world in 1971, in terms of the youth social and cultural revolution, was the response to the suffering caused to the people in Bangladesh by natural disaster and war. Ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked by his friend, Ravi Shankar, an Indian who was born in the part of India now called Bangladesh, if he could do something to help to relieve the suffering there.

George agreed; he first released a single called ‘Bangladesh’, and then, between the two of them, George and Ravi put together what was to be the original music charity event – the inspiration for all similar events that came after: The Concert for Bangladesh. There were two performances of the gig (one in the afternoon, the other in the evening) on August 1st., featuring some of the biggest names in music at the time: George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Leon Russell – and more…

The single, the gigs, and the movie and album release that followed, proved to be a massive success – both in raising money, and in raising awareness of the plight of the people of Bangladesh.

THE RISE OF TRADE UNION POWER IN THE UK: THE CLYDE SHIPBUILDERS WORK-IN PROTEST

The UK had been governed by Harold Wilson’s left of centre Labour Party between 1964 and 1970; it was a high taxation government (its policies inspired the George Harrison song ‘Taxman’), but also had policies that protected jobs, workers' rights, and social benefits; the Labour Party was also amenable to Trade Union negotiations in its industrial relations policy. This was particularly necessary, as most of British industry was government / public owned: railways; most of British car manufacture; telephone company (there was only one: British Telecommunications); the National Health Service; mining; etc... That meant that the workforce in these industries were all government employees; and the Trade Unions insisted on a ‘Closed Shop’ policy in the workplace: meaning that every employee had to belong to a Union…

In 1970, in the midst of a global economic downturn, the UK elected a Conservative government, led by Edward Heath. It immediately set out economic and industrial relations policies that would leave industry to fend for itself, and sink or swim – and be at the mercy of market forces; that included the public owned industries.

In February 1971 the prestige private motor and aerospace engine company, Rolls Royce fell foul of that policy, and plunged towards liquidation. The Tory government relaxed its policy, and nationalised Rolls Royce in order to save it – and sell it back to the private sector later…

But… When the proud and famous River Clyde shipbuilding companies fell into financial difficulties, and needed just some £6, 000,000 to tide them over until the work on-going in the busy shipyards was completed and paid for – the Tory government refused. They’d save the prestigious Rolls Royce - but allow generations of world renowned shipbuilding in Glasgow to go to wall…

Step up Jimmy Reid: Trade Union firebrand and brilliant public orator…

‘We refuse to accept that these decisions can be made by faceless people… with impunity…. ‘

This quote paraphrases part of the statement that Reid made to signal his union’s intention to implement a revolutionary protest to resist the closures. The workers would occupy and take control of the shipyards, and diligently complete the work that was in progress; they called it a ‘Work-In’…

‘We are not strikers. We are responsible people…’

The protest caught the imagination of the people of Britain – and was supported around the world, including by celebrities like John Lennon and Glaswegian comedian and actor Billy Connolly – who had served his apprenticeship as a welder in the Clyde shipyards.

The protest lasted over a year, and in 1972 the Tory government was forced into a climb-down – and ship building on the Clyde was saved…

This Trade Union defiance of the Tory government may be seen as the inspiration for the rise of Trade Union power in the UK during the 1970s…

GREENPEACE

Protest about environmental concerns got clear focus and organisational clout in 1971, with the founding of Greenpeace – the environmentalist pressure group, in Vancouver, Candida.

U.S POLITICAL FREEDOMS

1971 saw a breakthrough for Gay Liberation, when Frank Kameny becomes the first openly gay candidate for the United States Congress, running for election as the District of Columbia's non-voting delegate. He was unsuccessful – but his candidature was an important step in the progress of Gay Liberation.

1971 also saw greater freedoms granted to Gay people in various parts of the world.

1971 was also the year that the voting age in the US lowered from 21 to 18.

THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF MODERN CULTURE

1970 had seen the tendency towards aggression, conflict and violence that began to creep into the 1960s social and cultural revolution, become even more pronounced. In 1971 that trend continued, and significantly increased - though, thankfully, it there was some counter-balance: most notably, the above mentioned ‘Concert for Bangladesh’. Also in music, Paul Revere & the Raiders released the single ‘Indian Reservation’ – which took up the cause of the Native Americans, which had been highlighted in recent years, by a Native American occupation of the derelict Alcatraz Island (an event celebrated in the Leon Russell song, ‘Alcatraz’); and by the 1970 movies ‘Soldier Blue’, and ‘A Man Called Horse’; and also by the book published in 1970: ‘Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee’ – a historical account of white colonisation of the American West, as told from the Native American perspective.

The single 'Indian Reservation' was a huge hit worldwide – and raised awareness of the plight of the Native Americans – especially with people of my age at the time (12 / 13) – who had no access to the movies mentioned and were too young for reading intense history books. It’s a song that certainly had an impact on me.

LITERATURE

On the negative side (in my opinion, anyway), a notorious ‘cultural protest’ (if I can call it that?) in 1971, was the release of the book ‘The Anarchists Cookbook’ (by William Powell), which gave instructions on, for example, producing recreational drugs – and making bombs…

MOVIES

In movies, the film ‘Shaft’ (Starring Richard Roundtree) caused a stir, by featuring a tough, uncompromising African American Private Detective, caught up in the seedy world of the criminal underground. Shaft was a character in the great tradition of the ‘anti-hero’: like Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’ (‘The Good The Bad and the Ugly’ etc.), and ‘Dirty Harry’ (also debuted in 1971 – then in several sequels); Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle (‘The French Connection’ – also 1971); and many others: good guys – but who use unconventional methods…

In the case of Shaft, he was involved in working against black organised crime in New York City – but that led to cross-involvement in political black nationalist activism… And the whole situation was complicated by the Sicilian – American Mafia, out to undermine both... With the New York Police Department on the case of all three...

In a complex plot, Shaft is left in a position of having to work with the black crime / activists against the Mafia… While at the same time staying on-site with the the NYPD...

This intelligently made movie was making a statement about how politics, the law – and law enforcement, crime, and protest / activist / terror groups, involves a complex web of intrigue, double-dealing, and conniving – with no clear ‘good guys vs, bad guys’ situation, and all sides working with and against each other – and decisions and actions made within this rarefied atmosphere cannot be clearly defined within a glib framework of 'good' or 'bad'.

It so happened that Shaft was an African American character, and the movie described events from the perspective of the African American community – but it was, I suggest, making a wider point that was relevant to all of society and how it works - especially the dark, murky world of law enforcement, crime, and politics, But, all the same, ‘Shaft’ was considered to be, and by some condemned as, a a so-called ‘Blacksploitation’ movie…

Two great TV debuts in 1971: the Western series ‘Alias Smith and Jones' (Starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy – later Roger Davis took over from the late Pete Duel); and UK serious Rock music show, ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ (Hosted by Bob Harris, and later co-hosted by Anne Nightingale)…

FINALLY - AN INFLUENTIAL EVENT IN MY OWN LIFE

On January 2nd 1971 an major incident occurred at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, at the end a football match between city rivals, Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic, which cost the lives of 66 people, and injury to over 100 more. As supporters of the home team, Rangers, were pouring down the exit stairs at their designated end of the stadium, after Celtic had scored with two minutes left, to make it 1 -0, Rangers scored a dramatic equalising goal in the final minute. This caused chaos on the stairways - casing crash barriers to collapse. The result was a horrendous crush of people… And the death and injury mentioned…

There is added context here: Rangers and Celtic – known collectively as ‘The Old Firm’, as they are the power clubs in Scottish football – is the most notorious and vitriolic local derby game in all world football. It is an extension of the Protestant v. Roman Catholic / British Loyalist v. Irish Republican conflict that has riven Ireland for generations. Most people in Glasgow have Irish ancestry; and most support Protestant, British Rangers, or Roman Catholic, Irish Republican Celtic. The age old tribal hatred from those distinctions is expressed in this football game…

My family were not religious, but were Rangers fans – and, religious or not, expressed the sentiments associated with this rivalry. Me and my brothers were raised being ‘schooled’ in it. But even as a small kid, I was uncomfortable with this inherent hatred and bigotry. In myself, I knew that it was learned behaviour, and that, actually, I had no reason to hate Celtic supporters – or Roman Catholics. The events of that afternoon destroyed any spark of bigotry that I may have had…

My family listened to the game on the radio. Once the euphoria of the equalising goal had passed, we turned on our black and white TV, to bask in the football reports. …But the scenes being reported were of the tragedy that had occurred. We all sat, numbed….

In my small kid mind and my ‘learning’ about the Glasgow social divide, I was angry at the thought of how the Celtic fans must be gloating… I was profoundly wrong…

TV pictures revealed Celtic fans working tirelessly, feverishly, alongside Rangers fans and the Emergency Services, trying to save lives. When they’d heard the news, many had raced to the Rangers end of the stadium, desperate to help…

I was witnessing the reality of humanity, for the first time: when there is danger to life; when there is loss, injury and grief, there is no bigotry or hatred among common people in everyday life – there is only humanity…

It’s a lesson that has never left me, and which has informed my attitude to life ever since…

Forward to May, 1971 – the end of the football season, and I am attending the showpiece game – The Scottish Cup Final – between the same two clubs, at neutral Hampden Park, Glasgow… The two sets of supporters are kept apart by a police cordon… The animosity between the two was back… It remains to this day…

I was dismayed. I couldn’t understand… But, as a historian, I do now – and this understanding too informs my thinking about life, and how social divides, hatreds and bigotries are caused and fuelled, not by us, the common people, living in and sharing our communities – but by the people who run society – but are aloof from it, and care little for the effect that their actions have on communities and people. In this case, the events in Northern Ireland (mentioned above), had inflamed the Protestant / Loyalist, and Roman Catholic / Republican communities – and fanned the flames of conflict and violence – in ways that would end any hope of a peaceful solution to the issues in Northern Ireland at that time, and Northern Ireland plunged into violent civil conflict that would last for decades. The overspill effect on the people in Glasgow and the Ranger – Celtic rivalry, I witnessed as I walked to that football match in May…

Yet… still I knew –and I retain the belief – that if any human tragedy had occurred at that game – or at any time since or in the future – those at the scene would have, and will, still respond with instinctive humanity and the will to help…

CONCLUSION

So there you have it, folks – an overview how 1971 looked… Aggression and conflict was on the rise – but there was also examples of the best in humanity - to give some hope that one day – SOMEDAY – we might finally look within ourselves, as individuals and as a community, for our motivations and for the best way to treat one another – instead of being so easily manipulated by rhetoric and propaganda by an aloof few – which appeals to the worst in the human psyche…

But that was to be a spark of hope for the future… The 1970s was to continue to be an increasingly violent decade, sadly… The only real upside was, that the music continued to develop; to get better; and to inspire…

(I found the images used in this collage online. My acknowledgement and thanks to the various people who made them / own them (identity unknown to me).

(M).

Textual content: ©Copyright: MLM Arts 11. 03. 2018. Edited and re-posted: 06. 03. 2019. Edited and re-posted: 07. 03. 2020. Edited and re-posted: 08. 03. 2023

1971: PROTEST, ACTIVISM, SATIRE, AND CHANGE

(✓ = items that have separate, more detailed articles written about them in the 'Chronicles' 1971 section)

What was on the protest, activism, and target of satire agenda to promote meaningful change in 1971:

THE ENVIRONMENT

✓ The eco awareness group Greenpeace was formed in 1971.

✓ Mad magazine published a special edition that focused on environmental issues.

✓ Other publications / social commentators/ cartoonists also produced content highlighting environmental concerns.

U.S POLITICAL CHANGE

In 1971 the voting age in the USA was reduced from 21 to 18.

THE VIETNAM WAR

Concerns over the Vietnam War and the conduct of some of the U.S Military during that war:

✓ The particular issue was the conclusion of investigations into the 1968 My Lai Massacre: when, in March 1971 U.S Infantry Lieutenant, William Calley, was court martialled and found guilty of murder - and sentenced to life imprisonment. (It was suspected that Calley was a scapegoat, and in 1974 he was paroled.) And on December 18th., 1971, the senior U.S Military officer connected to the My Lai Massacre incident, Colonel Oran Henderson, was found not guilty at his court martial.

✓ On May 4th. (the annual May Day holiday), a mass anti-Vietnam War protest took place in Washington DC. 7000 protesters were arrested; some 150 people were injured.

✓ On June 13th., knowledge of the notorious 'Pentagon Papers' were made public by The New York Times: these official documents by the U.S Military and the U S Government described damning evidence of corruption and subterfuge around U.S involvement in the Vietnam War between 1945 and 1967.

GAY LIBERATION

✓ Frank Kameny became the first openly gay candidate to run in a U.S Congress election. He was not successful, but the fact that an openly gay candidate could run was ground breaking for Gay Liberation.

In London, UK, the Gay Liberation Front released a manifesto document, which demanded an end to discrimination against gay people. And on August 28th. held a protest in Trafalgar Square, demanding a lowering of the age of consent for gay sex from 21 to 16 (16 was the age of sexual consent for heterosexuals in the UK).

WOMEN'S LIBERATION

In London, on March 6th. 1971, around 4000 women, men, and children took part in the first Women's Liberation march in the UK.

UK PROTEST

✓ In the UK, the decision by Conservative Government Education Secretary, Margaret Thatcher to end the provision of free milk to all school children, was seen as an indication of Conservative Party scorn for the poor and the working class, and was protested against by social commentators, action groups, and satirists.

Also on the subject of Conservative Party UK Government policies and protest against them:

✓ The Upper Clyde Shipbuilders trade unions staged an innovative trade union action against the Government's decision to allow shipbuilding on the River Clyde to go bust - rather than loan the shipyards the money to tide them over until the work load in hand was completed and paid for.

Under the leadership of trade union leader Jimmy Reid, the workers took over the shipyards and staged a 'work-in': rather than going on strike, they occupied the yards and continued working until the jobs were completed.

The action made headlines around the world, and celebrities like John Lennon and Billy Connolly (who had been a welder in the Clyde Shipbuilding industry) sent both moral and financial support to the workers.

The 'work-in' was successful - and shipbuilding on the River Clyde was saved.

MUSIC DELIVERS THE POSITIVITY

✓ On March 5th. 1971, with the 'British - Irish Troubles' escalating in Ulster, and division between the British Loyalist community and the Irish Republican community becoming increasingly bitter and violent, a headline for the Melody Maker music paper review of a Belfast gig by Led Zeppelin by declared:

'Ireland Unties Under Zeppelin'

And indeed it was so. The youth of Ireland - Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, unified in the common cause of modern music culture: specifically, the claimants to The Beatles mantle as greatest band in the world: Led Zeppelin.

A full house in Belfast - some of whom had travelled from the Irish Republic - was unified in celebration, and divisions in politics, culture, religion - or anything else, meant nothing at all...

✓ And the greatest triumph of modern musical culture: The Concert For Bangladesh.

Bengal was part of what became East Pakistan when the British partitioned India in 1947. In 1971, after the Pakistan - India war, East Pakistan was granted independence and became Bangladesh.

Bengali Indian born musician Ravi Shankar was distressed and sorrowed by the devastation caused to his homeland by war and natural disasters between 1970 and 1971.

Ravi turned to his famous friend, ex-Beatle George Harrison, for help for his homeland and his people. Between the two of them they organised what would become the template for all the musical charity events that have happened since: The Concert For Bangladesh.

On August 5th 1971, a collection of international superstars gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York City, giving their time and talents for free, to play two performances of a concert that would raise money for the suffering people in Bangladesh... But much more than that: the concert would raise public and political awareness worldwide of the plight of Bangladesh and its people - and create an international relief effort.

The Concert For Bangladesh was a magnificent demonstration of how 1960s and 70s modern culture was much more than just entertainment: it was force for good - and for bringing out the best in humanity.

POLITICAL CARTOONS

The three political satire cartoons in this graphic depictions:

✓ Top left - central: My Lai Massacre political cartoon (publication and cartoonist unknown to me): This may have been from later than 1971, but reflects the mood of the time towards the 1971 My Lai Massacre court martials. The cartoon depicts another victim of My Lai: the conscience of the USA lying in a a ditch - while those who supported the acquittal of the accused celebrate the acquittal of Colonel Henderson.

✓ Top left: An edit from a cartoon by Ralph Vinson, which condemns human treatment of the environment. It's a play on the philosophical Idea that 'we come into the world with nothing - and we leave with nothing': the bitter irony is that we don't mention the pollution that we leave behind.

✓ Bottom left - centre: Punch magazine depicts Conservative Party UK Government Education Secretary, Margaret Thatcher, as a Dickensian figure akin to cruel Mr. Bumble from Oliver Twist, after she withdrew free milk for all UK school children.

CONCLUSION

During the 1970s (carrying on from the late 1960s), protest was becoming more confident - but edging into bullishness - and later becoming aggressive... finally violent; and in the process, unity and common cause would be gradually eroded, as sub-groups sprung up and divisions appeared...

But in1971 these negative aspects of protest and change, though becoming apparent, were yet to develop fully. Unity and common cause was still to be found - and progress and achievements made. 1971 was, I think, the last of unity and common cause for youth social and cultural revolution.

(I found the various images in this collage online. My acknowledgment and thanks to the various owners and posters involved (identity unknown to me). ) (M).

Textual content © Copyright MLM Arts 17. 11. 2024

Article to follow...

1971: POLITICS, THE COLD WAR, AND CONFLICT

1971: THE YEAR THAT ESCALATED THE BRITISH - IRISH 'TROUBLES' BEYOND THE REACH OF ANY PEACEFUL, NEGOTIATED SOLUTION...

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF 'THE BRITISH - IRISH 'TROUBLES''

I have described an overview of the history of the British - Irish 'Troubles' in the 'Chronicles' article 'The British - Irish 'Troubles'' (Please see the link to that article, posted below)

'The Troubles' that began to re-emerge during this era - in the mid-late 1960s - began with the bombing of a statue of Lord Nelson in Dublin - as a symbolic act by the Irish Republican Army, to demonstrate the continued rejection of British influence on Irish history.

By 1969 a civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland, for the equal treatment and opportunities for the Roman Catholic / mostly Irish Republican minority (which was supported by some of the Protestant / British Loyalist community - because of the basic fairness of what was being campaigned for), was met by counter protests by British Loyalist campaigners. By 1969, the two parties were engaged in riots and other violent confrontation. It was because of this, that the British government sent British troops to (the semi-autonomous, self governing) Northern Ireland - mainly to protect the Roman Catholic population the Protestant majority.

Also in 1969, the IRA split into two factions: The Official IRA, and the more aggressive and militant Provisional IRA (PIRA).

1970 saw attempts at political conciliation in the province - with the forming of the non-partisan Social Democratic and Labour Party, and The Alliance Party. But these efforts were overshadowed by extremist politics and actions on both sides: with the Loyalist rallying of Protestant / Loyalist firebrand The Reverend Ian Paisley - and the election to the Westminster parliament of young Republican firebrand Bernadette Devlin.

Ms. Devlin was arrested in 1970, for inciting riots violence; her arrest caused more riots...

1971: THE ESCALATION OF 'THE TROUBLES'...

In 1971 the violence - and the misjudged reactions to it, both by politicians and by the security forces - escalated beyond any reasonable hope of a a peaceful, negotiated solution...

February 1971, saw the first killing of a British soldier by the IRA during this eruption of 'The Troubles'; the soldier was Gunner Robert Curtis.

In March, three more British soldiers were murdered by the PIRA; these were off duty infantrymen, who were befriended by republicans in a pub in Belfast before being lured to their deaths at the hands of the terrorists.

Also in March, James Chichester Clarke resigned as the Ulster Unionist Party Prime Minister of Northern Ireland - to be replaced by Brian Faulkner.

On August 9th., Prime Minister Faulkner declared the introduction of internment without trial for suspected terrorists: people were rounded up and imprisoned without trial - just on the suspicion of being involved in terrorist activity; the great majority of those interned were Roman Catholic / Republicans.

Between August 9th. and August 11th., during implementation of this policy, British troops of the Parachute Regiment raided the Roman Catholic Springfield Road area of Belfast. In the riots and opposition that they met, the troops shot dead 10 people - including a Roman Catholic priest.

This notorious incident has been recorded in history as 'The Ballymurphy Massacre'. In May 2021 - almost 30 years later - an inquest by the British Government found that those killed were not guilty of any wrong doing - and issued an apology...

The imposing of this internment law - and its aggressive implementation - unsurprisingly proved to be a disastrous for the Northern Ireland Government - and the British Government - and, which also should not have been surprising at the time - resulted in more rioting - and proved to be a motivation for Republican - Roman Catholic recruitment into the IRA...

In September, Political negotiations between British Prime Minister, Edward Heath (1970 - 1974) and the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of The Irish Republic, Jack Lynch, and Prime Minister Brian Faulkner, take place at Chequers - the British PM's country residence.

October 30th. : Possibly fearing a sell-out of the Loyalist community, The Reversed Ian Paisley forms The Democratic Unionist Party as a hard-line breakaway from the Ulster Unionist Party.

On November 18th., PM Edward Heath invites Taoiseach Lynch back to Chequers for more talks.

It may be reasonably assumed that this move towards closer diplomatic negotiations by the British PM and the Irish Taoiseach - especially with the exclusion of the Ulster PM - inflamed the Loyalist suspicions of a sell-out... and worse, inflamed Loyalist's who were inclined to violent resistance to any concessions to the Republican - Roman Catholic community...

As if to confirm this, on December 4th., the Loyalist terrorists group, The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) carried out the most violent terrorist action to date during the current eruption of 'The Troubles': 'The McGurk's Bar Bombing': the bombing of McGurk's Bar in Belfast - a bar frequented mostly - probably only - by members of the Roman Catholic- Republican community. The attack killed 15 people...

CONCLUSION

1971 began with tensions and violence on the increase in Northern Ireland - and very quickly escalated in acts of violence and political and violent reactions to that violence that would push 'The Troubles' over the brink - and result in a prolonged violent stand-off that would, tragically, last for decades...

Further reading:

https://www.facebook.com/121782527911692/posts/5875928562497031/?app=fbl

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_in_Northern_Ireland

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1971-01-01/1971-12-31?basicsearch=belfast%20telegraph&somesearch=belfast%20telegraph&retrievecountrycounts=false

https://www.qub.ac.uk/.../NewsandEvents/1971Conference/

(The image used for this posting is cropped from the image used to promote the seminar / course on this subject by Queen's University, Belfast; a link to that seminar / course is included in the further reading recommended at the bottom of this article. My acknowledgement and thanks to Queen's University, Belfast for this image. ) (M).

Textual content: © Copyright: MLM Arts 25. 04. 2023

1971: JANUARY 24th. : THE FOUNDING OF THE EUROPEAN MANAGEMENT FORUM (NOW CALLED THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF)...

On January 24th., 1971, a German Professor of Business at The University of Geneva, Switzerland, called Klaus Schwab opened an enterprise designed to discuss and modernise business practices in Western Europe; partly by introducing top European businesses to US business methods.

It was called The European Management Forum. In 1987 change its name to The World Economic Forum (WEF)...

(I'm certainly no expert in business methods of any kind, so I can't really comment on the details. What I am aware of though, is that, at that time in Western Europe Trade Unions had a lot of power, and employers had to arrange contracts and working conditions largely in agreement with the Trades Unions.

Hiring was contracted agreed hours (no zero hours); dismissal of employees had to go through a process of warnings before dismissal could be applied; increased hourly pay rates for weekends, rights and so on...

I don't think any such job and conditions security existed in the USA...? But of course, I'll take advice on that from US 'Chroniclers'... )

Some 450 businesses were signed up to the project. The first meeting was held at the Alpine ski resort of Davos in Switzerland. (Subsequent meetings also take place there - up to the present date).

The European Management Forum was under the patronage of The European Commission: a bureaucratic Civil Service arm of the European Community (EC; which later became the European Economic Community (EEC); and later became The European Union (EU) - which is what it is currently known as). Why Switzerland hosted a European Community backed business event is unknown to me: Switzerland has never been part of the EC; EEC; or EU...

This European Management Forum was an obscure annual event at the time: at least I don't remember hearing anything about it - or its later, 1987 designation, the WEF... It didn't seem to impact the life of anyone back then - at least not in any way that we noticed...

What can we say - looking through the lens as historians...?

It was around 1987 that The Cold War ended - and the Soviet Union collapsed - and with it, its hold over its East European satellite states...

West and East Germany would soon reunite... The EEC encouraged former communist countries in eastern Europe to apply for membership: so greatly expanding the EEC from a few relatively wealthy - or very wealthy - central and southern European capitalist countries and economies - to incorporate a new wave of impoverished countries with collapsed communist economies...

A by-product of this was, that some countries in the EEC - most notably the UK (which had only been taken into the EEC in 1971 - without a pooluar vote on the subject) - became uneasy, as this new development was not expected or predictable during the Cold War era in which the EC / EEC was brought together; in short: it wasn't what they'd signed up for...

So, it was under these circumstances that the European Management Forum became The WORLD Economic Forum...

And presently, The EEC morphed into The European Union (EU)...

Globalism was becoming very much a thing...

(Footnote: No commentary or opinion meant on the fact reported here: but it was only in 2020, during a global emergency situation that lasted until this year, that I, personally, began to be aware of this World Economic Forum - the whole world was made aware of it...

In its annual meetings in the last few years, the (as the saying goes) 'great and the good' () from all walks of life: business; politics; royalty; religion; entertainment celebrities; and high profile activists ('How DARE you...!' ) have lined up to attend and to agree with the agendas being put to us - the plebs...

The aforementioned global crisis was seen by the WEF as 'a great opportunity - to reset the world's society' - apparently...

At some point, we'll 'own nothing - but we'll be happy' - apparently...

And the aforementioned 'great and the good' all seem to agree that this will be simply wonderful...

I don't know about you folks - but nobody asked ME if I'm OK with it...

But there we have it: a European business practices forum, backed by a civil service branch of the European Community, meeting in a wealthy ski resort in Switzerland - a non-EC country, during the Cold War - has now become (it seems) the decision making body for the whole world...

Gotta hand it to Professor Schwab - his big idea certainly took off...

And it all started in the year that we are currently revisiting: 1971... (M).

Textual content: © Copyright: MLM Arts 12. 06. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 18. 06. 2023

1971: March 25th. - December 16th. : WAR BETWEEN PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, AND INDIA...

BACKGROUND OVERVIEW: THE PARTITIONING OF INDIA (1947)

This is a necessarily brief sketch of a long and complex history... I will happily and gratefully take advice and better information from Indian / Pakistani / Bangladeshi readers - and / or historians of this particular subject.

BRITISH RULE OVER INDIA

In the early 19th. Century, the British came to rule the Indian subcontinent and to incorporate India into The British Empire - proclaiming Queen Victoria to be Empress of India in 1818 (CE / AD); this was achieved not by conquest or colonisation, but via the protracted complex machinations of commerce and trade...

In 1947, Britain relinquished its rule over India - but the county became divided...

Here's the BACKGROUND:

In 1526 a branch of the powerful Turco-Mongol Islamic Timurid Empire, called the Mughals, gained control of most of the Indian subcontinent - subjugating the indigenous Indian, Brahmanic (the various practices of the religious believers in Brahma), and Sikh peoples.

The Mughal Empire sought widespread trade around the World.

As early as 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England established The British East India Company - for the purpose of establishing English (there was no UK at the time) domination of the lucrative trade with Mughal India...

From 1674 until 1818, the indigenous Brahmanic peoples gradually reclaimed control of most of the Indian subcontinent, under The Maratha Empire: a confederation of Brahmanic / Hindu states. The Mughal Empire was reduced to occupying territory in the northeast of India.

All the while, amidst war and struggles for control of the subcontinent, and amidst the rivalries between the the individual states, The British East India Company operated independently of all parties. (The UK became an entity in 1703, when England and Scotland agreed to unite politically).

To make it short: in this way, Great Britain, via The British East India Company, by commercial stealth, took control of Indian's trade and commerce; the company - as administrator and organiser of Indian international trade - was seen as a stable and beneficial influenced in the midst of internal conflict and division...

The next step: full political control - with the proclaiming of Queen Victoria as Empress of India - in 1818 - was fairly smoothly and easily achieved...

But there was always some resistance and resentment to this foreign rule...

THE END OF BRITISH RULE

That resistance grew as time went by... After World War II, in which Indian troops had served The British Empire loyally bravely, a financially shattered Britain could no longer resist the growing calls for Indian independence: now led by Mahatma Gandhi - and his popular pacifist resistance methods.

However, despite Gandhi's repeated and impassioned pleas for unity within India, there was dispute and discord between the Muslim majority areas in northwest India (Jammu, Kashmir, and part of Punjab) and northeast India: a part of Bengal - and the Brahmanic (Hindu) minority in those areas - and the Brahmanic majority in India as a whole.

Add to this the claim by Sikhs (a faith that incorporates aspects of both Brahmanism and Islam) that, as Punjab is the land of their origin and is their homeland, it should be considered entirely Sikh: including the area that had a Muslim majority...

THE PARTITIONING OF INDIA

The British 'solution' was the same as the British 'solution' in Palestine: partition of the country. The Muslim majority in Jammu, Kashmir, and part of Punjab - plus part of Bengal: an area on the opposite side of India, would become Muslim Pakistan - West and East Pakistan, but the same country.

The rest of the country would remain India.

CONFLICT RESULTING FROM THE PARTITION

It's true of human nature, that loyalties are never simply defined. The culture and traditions of northwest India are not the same as northeast India (just as the same is true of the west of Scotland and the east of Scotland; the north of England and the south of England; the east coast of the USA and the west coast - even Boston and New York have cultural and social rivalries. Pretty much every country in the world has subdivisions along geographic, social and cultural lines...

Moreover - the smaller, less populated, less powerful part of a country - usually more remote from the central government - generally feels neglected and treated as 'second rate' by the bigger, more powerful centre of power and wealth... And actually, it often is treated that way...

An East Pakistani, could be a Muslim (the majority are); but also, could be a Hindu: both, however, would still identify as also culturally Bengali; and many, especially those born before the partition, would still identify as Indian (so would many in West Pakistan / Jammu / Kashmir / Punjab).

It was never going to be comfortable to simply separate people mainly or only on the grounds of their religious faith - and think that was all there was to It...

To create a country in two parts - separated by the mass of the India in between - was surely never going to work.

THE WAR BETWEEN WEST PAKISTAN AND EAST PAKISTAN

In November 1970, a powerful cyclone hit East Pakistan - causing terrible levels of death destruction. The bigger and most powerful part of Pakistan was West Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan were unhappy at the response to the cyclone by the powers in West Pakistan. Resentment which had always been simmering - due to the various differences described above - boiled over in March 1971, with protests in East Pakistan - and declarations of its intention to formally separate from West Pakistan - and become the independent country, Bangladesh...

On March 25th. 1971, West Pakistan sent troops into East Pakistan to quell the protests.

Civil war ensued...

DECEMBER 3rd. 1971: INDIA BECOMES INVOLVED IN THE WAR - AGAINST WEST PAKISTAN.

India lay between the two: West Pakistan - and the rebel state of Bangladesh. Ever since the partition of 1947, India and Pakistan had been in dispute over territorial claims. As ever in human conflict, religious differences were emphasised for propaganda purposes - in order to ramp up hostility...

India favoured Bangladesh in the dispute - without becoming directly involved...

However, suspecting that India would indeed commit military support to Bangladesh, on December 3rd. 1971 Pakistan launched a pre-emptive airstrike attack - Operation Chengiz Khan - on Indian air force bases - in an attempt to damage Indian air power.

The attack had minimal effect on Indian military capability. But it was just cause for India to declare war on West Pakistan - and effectively ally with the former East Pakistan - now Bangladesh, in the Pakistani Civil War.

DECEMBER 16th. : THE WAR ENDS WITH VICTORY FOR BANGLADESH AND INDIA...

Indian intervention was decisive in the war. On December 16th. 1971, West Pakistan surrendered - and relinquished its rule over East Pakistan - and recognised it as the new independent state of Bangladesh.

In the course of some thirteen months, between the cyclone of November 1970 and its official recognition as an independent country in December 1971, East Pakistan - Bangladesh (part of Bengal), and its people, had suffered the horrors of natural disaster, famine - and months of war...

THE WORLD RESPONDS TO THE SUFFERING IN BANGLADESH...

To the people of the region, all that really mattered was their country at their fellow countrymen and women. Ravi Shankar - George Harrison's great friend and mentor - was born in the region, before the 1947 partition. He was Hindu. He was Indian. He was Bengali. That's what mattered when he approached George Harrison for help and George wrote and sang the words:

'My friend came to me, with sadness in his eyes. He told me that he wanted help, before his country dies...'

('Bangladesh': single from 1971)

In the disaster - hope and humanity rallied and created something wonderful: 'The Concert For Bangladesh' (August 1971) - and the consequent creation of the concept that Rock musicians can be a focal point for humanitarian good...

(I found this image online (and edited it by adding the caption on top) - it is from a website called The Quint - which specialises in information about India. My acknowledgement and thanks to The Quint.) (M).

Textual content: © Copyright MLM Arts 09. 05. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 10. 05. 2023

1971: MARGARET THATCHER MAKES HER FIRST CONTROVERSIAL DECISION IN POLITICS...

Maggie Thatcher - Milk Snatcher...

That was Margaret Thatcher's nickname after her first controversial political decision: while serving as Education Secretary for Edward Heath's Conservative government (1970 - 1974) in 1971. The decision was to cancel the 1/3 pint of milk issued to every child at primary (elementary) school in the UK - every school day: a policy that was originally introduced in wartime 1940 Britain, to ensure that the next generation (post-war) of British would be sufficiently nourished to survive the ravages of the war; and retained as part of the extensive social care package of policies* by the 1945 - 1950 post-World War II Labour government of Clement Attlee.

(*Which also included extended school provision for working class families; free lunch at school for poorer children; and, most notably, The National Health Service).

(I've made the personal point of view on here several times, that these policies resulted in a healthier, more robust, better educated British working class; and the first generation of of youth to benefit from that, was the 1960s generation...

And that this robust, educated working class - with its long-standing Left Wing bloshiness, formed part of the essence of what caused the 1960s social and cultural revolution: when, after 'The British Invasion'**, these youth ideas mixed with Beatnik intellectualising, and Rock and Roll raw energy, '...a whole generation with a new explanation...' (Scott McKenzie: 'San Francisco' (1967)) emerged...

**Please see the 'Chronicles' article on 'The British Invasion' https://m.facebook.com/.../a.2461055.../5355157351240824/... )

People outside the UK might wonder what the fuss was about over 1/3 of a pint of milk... But, as my above overview indicates, that milk - along with the other provisions that pulled the British working class out of the fear of disease and malnutrition - eradicated long-standing poverty related illness and disability pretty much in a single generation...

Simple provision of better nutrition for all - and the whole population became heathier and happier...

In 1971 the majority of the population were still of an age that remembered the bad old days of poverty and dread fear of illness (because decent nutrition and health care was only available to the better off). They grew up noticing the dramatic differences in their lot in life, because of the Attlee government...

Add to that, the increased provision of education for all - and people were better informed about all aspects of life...

The Labour Party had regained power io the UK in 1964, under Harold Wilson. But lost power to Edward Heath's Conservative Party in 1970...

Heath's government was not the conservatism that took hold of UK and US politics in the 1980s: Free Market Economics: referred to as 'Thatcherism' (after the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher), or 'Reaganomics' (after US President Ronald Reagan): an economic system left to capitalist trading - with little or no safety net for the 'have nots'... No: this Heath government attempted a compromise between social provision and capitalism...

The attempt was not successful... In 1974 Harold Wilson regained control for the Labour Party...

But, after playing a very big part in bringing down the Heath Conservative government, the Trade Unions became over-confident and demanding, and Trade Union power escalated under this Labour government. The fact that the Labour Party was funded by the Trade Unions put Wilson at a disadvantage when trying to negotiate with them. The overconfident Trade Unions in the UK were, it's widely recognised, overstepping their mark...

By the late 1970s, the UK was in decline. Edward Heath was considered weak - and too lightweight in dealing with the Trade Unions - by the Conservative Party - who looked for a dynamic, ultra-conservative leader to tackle a Labour Party that, by the mid-1970s, was too much influenced by those too demanding Trade Unions...

In 1975 the Conservatives ousted Heath in favour of a candidate who had earlier declared that she didn't think there'd be a female Prime Minister I her lifetime... Margaret Thatcher...

In 1976, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, Harold Wilson stood down as UK PM - to be succeeded by his Chancellor Of The Exchequer - James (Jim) Callaghan...

It's pretty much accepted that Heath and Thatcher grew to despise each other...

But it was Heath who put Thatcher on her political path, by giving her an important post in his government...

And in 1971, the UK population got the first controversial hint of Margaret Thatcher's political and economic ideology - when she rolled back this particular social improvement policy introduced in wartime and retained by the Atlee government...

(I found this image online. My acknowledgement and thanks to whoever posted it / owns it (identity unknown to me... ) (M).

Textual content: © Copyright: MLM Arts 16. 06. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 18. 06. 2023

1971: PROTEST, ACTIVISM, SATIRE, AND CHANGE

1971: October: THE MAD MAGAZINE 'POLLUTION EDITION' - BACK COVER.

This is from the year that we are currently revisiting - 1971.It's another example of how (contrary to the propaganda opinions of some modern commentators, who are intent on 'blame the 'Boomers'' for everything... ) the protests of today were first addressed back in The Golden Era - in this case, pollution - and urban decay - and social depravation...

Like the other protests for a better and fairer society (against sexism, racism, homophobia, war, war mongering, and social depravation on the grounds of economic background), the generations of our era began the unified, global and popular campaigning for change - and did so via our modern culture - music in particular - including satire...

Mad magazine is iconic - and was a leading exponent of protest through wit and satirical humour.

The October 1971 edition - called 'The Pollution Edition' had this back cover: a satirical take on The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse (from the biblical book of Revelation); this depicts The Four Horsemen of the Metropolis: the plagues that were destroying inner cities: Drugs; Pollution; Slums (poor housing and facilities); and what's called Graft: in the USA, this means profiteering by means of having political and economic influence.*

(*In the UK, graft just means hard work / working hard - that needs explaining for this posting.)

The point was, I'm assuming, that these corrosive elements were destroying inner city communities - and those in authority did nothing about It... and maybe even profited by it... )

This is another valuable historical document from this era... (M).

Textual content ©Copyright MLM Arts 21. 04. 2023. Edited and re-posted: 23. 04. 2023

1971: August 1st :

THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH (Madison Square Garden (2 shows: 2.30pm and 8.00pm))

This is a picture of the original advert for 'The Concert For Bangladesh'; it shows just one performance - 8.00pm.; the tickets sold out very quickly, and so another performance was added - for earlier on the same day.

The advert does not include the line-up (other than the organisers: George Harrison and Ravi Shankar);I think this is because the final line-up could not be confirmed at that time..(?) (I list the line-up below (my thanks to Wikipedia for that).

... Amidst a year of conflict, violence and destruction, that mostly defined our current year in focus - 1971 - The. Concert For Bangladesh wasa shining light of Love and Peace - and hope...

'The Concert for Bangladesh' and George Harrison's single, 'Bangladesh' set the example and created the concept of music and musicians giving of themselves, their talents and their fame for the cause of altruism – to help their fellow human beings. Live Aid, Band Aid, and all other similar projects owe homage to this history making event…

‘My Friend came to me with sadness in his eyes.

Told me that he wanted help, before his country dies…’

These are the opening words of the single ‘Bangladesh’ – which George Harrison released as part of his (and Ravi Shankar's) project to help relieve the suffering of the newly formed country, Bangladesh: which, between the 1947 British partition of India and the Bangladeshi War of Independence in 1971, had been East Pakistan. In 1970 cyclone Bhola caused massive damage to the country, and in 1971 followed the war for independence and all the devastation and human suffering resulting from that. The world viewed the pictures of these events on T.V news shows and tut-tutted in the usual head-shaking sympathy, and many maybe resolved to dig a few coins from their pockets to drop in collection boxes – and tut-tutted some more and felt very sorry… And then thought little more about it… The football, or a favourite Soap Opera, or whatever else, was on TV next...

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar changed all that, and made the whole world sit up and fully take notice of the suffering of their fellow human beings. They’d harness the already potent power of protest and campaigning of the 1960s (70s) generations' modern musical culture, which wasalready being used in support of winning freedoms and putting the cause of peace on the world's agenda – and into the world’s psyche – to achieve that purpose, by using the phenomenon of modern music and the media attraction of its stars to get the message of common humanity and our obligation to help one another across - in the most high profile and powerful manner ever known…

At short notice Harrison and Shankar recruited major stars like Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Leon Russell to appear at two gigs (for free) that would not only raise money for Bangladesh’s poor and suffering, but, more importantly, would raise the profile of that country and its plight - and prompt more action from the international community – which it did. Many years later, Ravi Shankar reflected:

"In one day, the whole world knew the name of Bangladesh. It was a fantastic occasion ..."

Along with Woodstock 'The Concert for Bangladesh' captures the mood of the era, and the mood of the generations that grew up during it. The waging of war, and all aspects of the exploitation and suffering of our fellow human beings were things that we would not sit by and idly accept or tolerate; nor would we pay mere sop or lip service to our objections; neither would we simply chuck some throw-away money at a problem, and salve our consciences to sleep in that way. This was an era of pro-active generations, intent on a better and fairer world; we were demonstrative, and put the issues on the agenda; we achieved much towards our objectives.

Sadly, by the late 1960s aggression and conflict was becoming part of protest; and by the beginning the 1970s, that element was increasing, and spreading throughout society. The 1960s youth revolution ethos and motivate of Peace and Love - and harmony was being eroded...

(Footnote: My personal analysis / suggestions on the consequences of the erosion of 1960s youth social and cultural ideals... 🤔

The 1970s ended with start of the 'Free Market Economics' political-economic agenda of greed and self-interest, which successfully seduced the up-coming generations (and, it must be admitted, many of those of the 60s and 70s generations, sadly…), and which rolled back much of the altruistic humanity that had been achieved by the generations of the 1960s and 70s. This shift in the political and social psyche also, I strongly suggest, brought the world to the state of financial ruin that it’s in now – though the effect of this on the greediest – the few most responsible for causing this decline, and who accumulated the most hideous wealth from their greed - has been absolutely nil... (Sigh...)

The best of the old 1960s and 70s motivations, expressed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, rekindled that spirit of The Golden Era for a while with Band Aid and ‘Live’ Aid (1985) – and there were the equivalent events in the USA...

The more recent ‘Live Aid II’, in 2005, was, I must opine, a grotesque, hedonistic public orgy of indulgence and partying: to show empathy and solidarity with the world’s poorest… What???!!! This was accompanied by the buying of garish little plastic wrist bands for people to wear, so that they could ostentatiously display to the world that they’d ‘done there bit’ – and to salve their conscience. What..???!!! 😳)

If ever the spirit of The Concert for Bangladesh needed reviving – It’s NOW, I think… 😔

The Line-Up:

George Harrison – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals

Ravi Shankar – sitar

Bob Dylan – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica

Leon Russell – piano, vocals, bass, backing vocals

Ringo Starr – drums, vocals, tambourine

Billy Preston – Hammond organ, vocals

Eric Clapton – electric guitar

Ali Akbar Khan – sarod

Alla Rakha – tabla

Kamala Chakravarty – tambura

"The Band"

Jesse Ed Davis – electric guitar

Klaus Voormann – bass

Jim Keltner – drums

Pete Ham – acoustic guitar

Tom Evans – twelve-string acoustic guitar

Joey Molland – acoustic guitar

Mike Gibbins – tambourine, maracas

Don Preston – electric guitar, vocals (on "Jumpin' Jack Flash"/"Young Blood" and "Bangla Desh" only)

Carl Radle – bass (on "Jumpin' Jack Flash"/"Young Blood" only)

The Hollywood Horns

Jim Horn – saxophones, horn arrangements

Chuck Findley – trumpet

Jackie Kelso – saxophones

Allan Beutler – saxophones

Lou McCreary – trombone

Ollie Mitchell – trumpet

The Soul Choir

Claudia Lennear, Joe Greene, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene, Dolores Hall, Don Nix, Don Preston – backing vocals, percussion.

The Setlist (My thanks to Setlist.fm):

Shankar

(Unknown)

(with Ravi Shankar) (+ Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad… more )

George Harrison and Friends

Wah-Wah

My Sweet Lord

Awaiting on You All

That's the Way God Planned It

(Billy Preston cover) (with Billy Preston)

It Don't Come Easy

(Ringo Starr cover) (with Ringo Starr)

Beware of Darkness

(with Leon Russell)

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

(The Beatles song)

Jumpin' Jack Flash / Young Blood

(with Leon Russell)

Here Comes the Sun

(The Beatles song)

Bob Dylan's mini set

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall