Skip to Main Content

University Library

LibGuides

The University of Illinois in the Cold War Era 1945-1975: Student Life during the Cold War Era

Students Gather on the Quad

Large crowd of students sitting and standing, with little room between them.

Gathering on The Quad at The University of Illinois, ca. 1970

Numerous students gathered on the Quad in front of the Union, with Foellinger Auditorium in the background. Found in RS 39/2/20, ACT 27, Crowds 1964-

Student Life During the Cold War Era

After the end of World War II student life at the University of Illinois and similar public institutions around the country was radically transformed. The G.I. Bill not only provided individual opportunities for veterans of the war, but it also inaugurated a new ethos for higher education consisting of expanded access to the next generation of college students. As the campus began to represent a slightly broader cross-section of the state and national population, students became even more enmeshed in the conflicts of the day over politics, race, sexuality and gender.