Rhetorical strategies of the radical ‐ revolutionary

This article classifies the rhetorical strategies of the action agents of the New Left in America. The author begins by describing the national scene in 1968 which led to a major shift from protest to militancy. He then lists the terms which characterize the ideology of the radical movement and unite its diverse elements. The key term which marks the change after 1968 is “revolutionary.” The five strategies which identify the movement are: political revolutionary, cultural revolutionary, urban guerrilla, political anarchist and superstar. The author then deals with each of these five in turn, providing a rationale for its strategy and offering some examples from recent history which epitomize that strategy in action. The author concludes that while different, the five strategies complement one another. He suggests that assessment of the effectiveness of the movement may consider any one of the five individually or in context with the others.

Notes

An earlier version of this article appeared in a publication called Moments on June 15, 1972. Moments was intended as an in‐house publication for students and staff in the Department of Speech, Communication, and Theatre Arts of the University of Minnesota, and public circulation in the usual sense was not contemplated. Under those circumstances, the editorial board of Today's Speech does not consider this to be a republication; furthermore, the board deemed the article worthy of national circulation.