Left-Wing Radicalism Pamphlet Collection
This summer all of the Pamphlet Collections in Archives and Special Collections are being renovated to be made more concise and accessible. One collection that has already seen some attention and new material is the Left-Wing Radicalism Pamphlet Collection. Most of the material in this collection dates from between 1945 and 1975, with the greatest concentration coming from the Vietnam era. The notable exception is a number of periodicals from the middle 1990s. The collection includes pamphlets, journals, book-length studies, posters, periodicals, and newspapers. Here is one highlight from that collection:
The Object is to Win was a pamphlet influential to the late 1960s New Left, in particular the Weather Underground Organization. The pamphlet was originally written by Clayton Van Lydegraf in 1967; our copy is from the second, 1971 edition. The WUO originated as a faction of the Students for a Democratic Society, formally splitting from SDS during their 1969 national convention. This was due to the WUO’s belief that non-violent resistance, which SDS advocated only, would not stop the war in Vietnam. They instead advocated militancy and more dramatic forms of direct action. In 1970 the WUO issued a “Declaration of a State of War” against the US government and was eventually responsible for a number of public demonstrations, a high-profile prison escape, stealing FBI documents, and a successful campaign of bombings against government buildings and banks including the Capitol, Pentagon, and Department of State building. The group always issued warnings before their attacks and no one outside of the group was ever injured. The Object is to Win describes some of the ideas important to the group and details some of the tactics and revolutionary strategies they would later put to use.
Posted by Matthew Shannon