cover of episode 512. America in '68: The Chicago Riots (Part 5)

512. America in '68: The Chicago Riots (Part 5)

2024/11/11
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The Rest Is History

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The episode explores the events leading up to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, focusing on the tensions between anti-war protestors and the Chicago police, the role of the Yippies, and the political climate of the time.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson's withdrawal from the race and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy left the Democratic Party in disarray.
  • The Yippies, known for their 'politics of play,' planned a protest that the Chicago police took very seriously.
  • The convention was marked by violence and chaos, with the police responding brutally to protestors.

Shownotes Transcript

The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago, and the incumbent president, Lyndon B. Johnson, has pulled out of the race. Anti-war protestors are flooding the streets of the city, and Johnson continues to press on with the war in Vietnam. Bobby Kennedy’s assassination has turned the Democratic candidacy contest into a two-horse race between Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy. And while they’re battling inside the convention for delegates, the real fight is taking place on the streets. Dope-smoking youth activists known as the “Yippies” have called for a protest against the Vietnam War, and their threats made in the name of the ‘politics of play’ have been taken seriously by Chicago police, who react with brutal force. Flowers and poems meet truncheons and guns. As DNC votes are being counted, images of these confrontations are broadcasted on newsreels across the nation.

Join Tom and Dominic to discuss a Democratic National Convention that saw Chicago descend into violence and chaos. Listen as they explore what led to one of the most anarchic political conventions, and how it impacted a divided America.


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Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

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