ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the relevance of a political minority is that of how to cease being a minority altogether and become a majority; if not in vote-getting power then at least in popular concern and attitude. The old radical minority lived in a reified world of capital versus labor, imperialism versus socialism, and good Scouts versus bad Indians. As long as radicalism in America confronts the public with a choice: communism or socialism, it shall remain part of minority politics—hopeless minority politics. The need for technical and professional skills must be wedded to the dedication which has been the traditional hallmark of radical minority politics. It requires an abandonment of traditional neo-machiavellian political techniques of manipulating the peace concern to promote special interests which may or may not coincide with the general concern in peaceful existence. This syndrome needs to be broken if an effective peace concern is to be transformed into peace activity.
