"Make love, not war" is an

anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

commonly associated with the American

counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...

. It was used primarily by those who were opposed to the Vietnam War, but has been invoked in other anti-war contexts since, around the world. The "Make love" part of the slogan often referred to the practice of free love that was growing among the American youth who denounced marriage as a tool for those who supported war and favored the traditional capitalist culture. Several people claimed to be the inventor of the phrase, including Gershon Legman,

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

, radical activists Penelope and

Franklin Rosemont Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009) was an American poet, artist, historian, street speaker, and co-founder of the Chicago Surrealist Group. Over four decades, Franklin produced a body of work, of declarations, manifestos, poetry, collage, hidden hi ...

and Tor Faegre, and Diane Newell Meyer, a senior at the University of Oregon in 1965, but the earliest uses in print appear to have been in anti-war protests in Berkeley, California earlier in 1965 than the April and May uses cited by Penelope Rosemont and Diane Newell Meyer. Articles mentioning signs and bumper stickers with the phrase were reported in the ''Daily Californian'' in February and the ''Oakland Tribune'' in March. Barbara Smoker claimed to have financed the manufacture of the first “Make Love, Not War” badges.This quote is also attributed to

Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse (; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German-American philosopher, social critic, and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at the Humboldt University ...

, a German philosopher who emigrated to the United States in the thirties and was an outspoken war critic (cit. quote.org).

In popular culture

*The slogan was featured in two 1973 songs: John Lennon's "

Mind Games Playing mind games (also power games or head games) is the largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the a ...

" and Bob Marley's "No More Trouble" (first released on the album '' Burnin'''). *It is also featured in the 1988 song "

A Little Respect A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

" by Erasure. *In the 1989 film '' Field of Dreams'', fictional character Terence Mann is credited with coining the phrase. * David Allyn named his 2001 book after the slogan: '' Make Love, Not War: The Sexual Revolution: An Unfettered History''. *The character of 'Pop', in the 2002 futuristic Queen musical play '' We Will Rock You'', shouts "Make love, not war!" as he is brainwashed at the start of the show, which leads into the stage performance of " Radio Ga Ga". *In the 2019 film '' Avengers: Endgame'',

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

appears in his cameo driving past Camp Lehigh, shouting "Make love, not war!" to the army soldiers before driving off in his car. *in 2020

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter.

and Nuka released the song " Love Not War".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Make Love, Not War 1960s fads and trends Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War Pacifism Political catchphrases Hippie movement Sexual revolution Counterculture of the 1960s 1965 neologisms

In popular culture

See also

References