The Counterculture Revolution of the Sixties

The Counterculture Revolution of the Sixties

Definitions of the Counterculture In it’s most common and initial sense, the counterculture refers to the culture, especially of young people, with values or lifestyles in opposition to those of the established culture. This has become the standard term to describe the cultural revolt of the young. Although distinct countercultural undercurrents exist in all societies, here the term counterculture refers to a more significant, visible phenomenon that reaches critical mass and persists for a period of time. Counterculture movement refers to all the protest movements that happened in America in the 1960s, including both the political movements such as the women’s liberation movement, the Summer of Love, the antiwar movement against Vietnam, the environment movement, the gay rights movement, and the cultural “movements” as drug abuse, hippies, free sex, and rock and roll. The young people of this counterculture were the offspring of the struggles from earlier times “The Great Depression”.

As read and study this Counterculture movement, The Hippies and American political values clashed and began to come to light. The social movement of the late 1960s and very early 1970s mainly composed of teenagers and persons in their early twenties, who through their flamboyant lifestyle expressed their alienation from mainstream American life.” This looked like it separated young people from middle class families. Attitudes toward sexuality appeared to loosen.

The Social Background in the 1960s was a transitional period of great social change. It was a period when long-held values and norms of behavior seemed to break down, particularly among the young.

The Turmoil in the 1960s Political Roots The 1960s was a decade of political turmoil: the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, and the Vietnam War all greatly influenced young people who...