Everywhere in the 1960's a sort of "don't trust the authority" attitude sprang up. Not to say that people were not aware before, but there was definitely a more mass awareness that American society wasn't a completely free, democratic melting pot. Racism, sexism, imperialism, and oppression are even present in the country where "all men are created equal."
One could go on and on theorizing was caused this new movement. The Vietnam War exposed that the US government was prone to fighting a bad war, and breaking moral code along the way. Another cause may have been the split from the church: (in general) more educated families became increasingly secular while the less educated became increasingly more religious. Others could say that this was just an effect of the baby boom. Young people are always rebellious and challenge authority. The reason it was so prevalent in the 60's was there was simply more young people. Feel free to leave more of your ideas in the comments.
The hipsters of the 60's were notable for movements such as the Free Speech Movement, centered right next door in Berkeley. Cal had banned the use of campus space for political debate. Students protested claiming the administration was promoting "corporates interests rather than humane values."
The counterculture movement wasn't just in America. In May 1968 students in France organized massive strikes against the worn down university system. The same year in Czechoslovakia, people inspired by western ideals protested; that is until Soviet tanks came in to end it. This is known as Prague Spring.
Not all reform groups had great ideals. One group called Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) originally started out fighting poverty and protesting war, but by the end of the 1960s they had begun an underground terrorist group known as the Weathermen. What started out as peaceful civil rights movements turned into violent riots.
So was the counterculture movement revolution or simply another from of progressive ideals coming to light? Leave your thoughts below!
Personally, I think that the counterculture movement started out as a way to express new, progressive ideals, but, as you point out, many of these groups turned their cause into something close to a revolution, or at least an attempt at one. I wonder if this would have happened if the Cold War had not occupied so much of America's politics. I would think the people would have fewer events to protest about, and the American government could have given more attention to the requests of the protesters. I still think the progressive ideals would have come to light, but in a less violent and revolutionary way than they did during the era of the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteI disagree a bit with the statement that groups such as "Students for a Democratic Society" did not have great ideals. It seems like they did (as you said yourself, fighting poverty and whatnot) put perhaps their methods were less then desirable. This reminds me a bit of the militant Black Panther group that appeared during the civil rights movement, a group known for being completely willing to use violence. It's easy for us to condemn people for the use of violence, but we have to remember that those were different times, and perhaps giving the circumstances, violence was their only option. I especially can sympathize with the black militants in the Black Panther because civil rights is an issue that had been long overdue and politicians seemed to think that it could be dealt with in time. Perhaps the students you mentioned felt they were in a similar position. Food for thought.
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