THE PAPER EXAMINES THE RISE OF EXTREMIST GROUPS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, BLACK NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, AND ANTI-VIETNAM WAR PROTESTS, AS WELL AS THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH RADICAL GROUPS COULD ENJOY PROTECTED GROWTH. SEPARATE SECTIONS ARE DEVOTED TO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS: STUDENTS FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (SDS), THE WEATHERMAN, BLACK PANTHER PARTY, THE COMMUNIST PARTY (CPUSA), SOCIALIST WORKERS' PARTY (SWP), AND THE PROGRESSIVE LABOR PARTY (PLP). THE AUTHOR POINTS OUT THE DEMISE OF MANY STUDENT GROUPS DUE TO FRUSTRATION AND FADDISM, AND THE ADVANCES MADE BY THE 'ORTHODOX' EXTREME LEFT (PARTICULARLY THE TROTSKYISTS) THROUGH DISCIPLINE, ORGANIZATION, AND ADHERENCE TO GOALS.