Summary
At first glance, it is not easy to imagine that the events of 2020-2022 parallel past events. However, it can argue that 1968 was on a par with the mentioned period in many respects. The similarity is expressed in such phenomena as the epidemic, political prostheses, and presidential elections in the United States. Considering each event separately, this work will try to find an answer to whether it is possible to take into account these lessons and not repeat them in the future.
A Wave of Mass Protests
Mass protests that broke out in the United States, which began in 2020, were caused by the death of an African-American, George Floyd, after being detained by police in Minneapolis. Protests began in major American cities, soon turning into pogroms and riots. These protests were the most massive since the assassination of the black civil rights movement leader, Martin Luther King. After learning about King’s murder, people began to take to the streets. The peaceful protest quickly got out of control – they beat cars, robbed shops, and set buildings on fire. The scale of the reaction and destruction in the American cities was identical.
Pandemic
In mid-July 1968, the Hong Kong flu pandemic broke out. In the first weeks, more than 500 thousand people in Hong Kong were infected with it. By the end of August 1968, the virus had spread to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam and reached India, Iran, Japan, and Europe in the fall. In the United States, the flu was brought by soldiers who returned from the Vietnam War. From 1 million to 4 million people died worldwide from the Hong Kong flu pandemic, and about 33.8 thousand people died in the USA (Miller, 2020). The COVID-19 coronavirus has also spread worldwide; the number of infected has exceeded 7 million people, and 400 thousand of people have died (Miller, 2020). The United States became the first in terms of the number of cases and the virus’s spread rate. In this case, the periods are united by the massive spread of the virus, which in both cases appeared in Southeast Asia. The difference in the scale of the spread of diseases, which is one year, has already outstripped 1968 in terms of indicators and continues to grow to this day.
US Presidential Election
The 1968 presidential election was one of the most intense in U.S. history. They put an end to the era of the dominance of the Democratic Party in the political life of the country. The United States faced racial confrontations after the assassination of Martin Luther King and actions against the Vietnam War. As a result, Republican Richard Nixon won the election, promising Americans to restore “law and order” in the country (Miller, 2020). The 2020 elections were also difficult because President Donald Trump has dramatically lost popularity, even though he defended the slogan “law and order” on Twitter. In the USA at that time, similarly to 1968, there was racial tension against the background of the murder of George Floyd, which led to the natural victory of Joe Biden. In 1968, there was dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War; then in 2020 and subsequent years, there was an increase in criticism of the authorities for measures against Covid-19.
How Will the Pandemic, Protests, and Elections Affect the Future Way of Life
1968 was the year that “shook America” — there were many violent events and a lot of violence. However, despite this, the economy showed good results. The events of 2020-2022 have destroyed the myth that the economy and global gatherings are not always interconnected. The consequences of the difficulties of 1968 were felt for a decade ahead, and they will be the same now. Humanity needs to realize the importance of cooperation both among themselves and the state to overcome shocks in the future effectively. There will always be wars, protests, and pandemics; it is important to respond to these challenges promptly and unite to minimize the consequences.
Reference
Miller, K. (2020). Comparing 1968 and 2020 is more complicated than Donald Trump wants it to be. BuzzFeedNews.