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The 1960s Decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969 , inclusive. The term also refers to an era more often called '''The Sixties''', denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends which occurred roughly during the years 1958-1974 in Western countries, particularly Britain , France , the United States , Italy and West Germany . Social and political upheaval was not limited to these nations, but included such nations as Japan , Mexico , Canada , and others. The term is used descriptively by historians, journalists, and others documenting our collective past; nostalgically by those who participated in the counter-culture and social revolution; and pejoratively by those who perceive the era as one of irresponsible excess. The decade was also labeled the Swinging Sixties because of the libertine attitudes that emerged during this decade. Rampant drug use has become a Synecdoche for the counter-culture of the era, as exemplified by Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner : "If you can remember anything about the sixties, you weren't really there." The sixties were a time of immense change in all areas of public and private life, often referred to as a social revolution global in scale. In the United States, for example, social change was wrought by the American Civil Rights Movement , the rise of Feminism and Gay Rights , invention of the microchip and formulation of Moore's Law , and even the rise of Neoconservatism . The "Sixties" has become Synonym ous with all the new, exciting, radical, subversive and/or dangerous (depending on one's viewpoint) events and trends of the period, which continued to develop in the 1970s , 1980s and beyond. In Africa the 60s were a period of radical change as countries gained independence from their European colonial rulers, only for this rule to be replaced in many cases by civil war or corrupt dictatorships. GOVERNMENT Several Western governments turned to the Left in the early-1960s. In the United States President John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960. Italy formed its first left of center government in March 1962 with a coalition of Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, and moderate Republicans. Socialists joined the ruling bloc in December 1963. In England, the Labour party gained power in 1964.Arthur Marwick, T''he Sixties: Cultural Revolution in Britain, France, Italy, and the United States, c.1958-c.1974'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 247-248. Liberal Programs President John F. Kennedy promoted the space program, math and science education, tax cuts and the Peace Corps . It continued with President Lyndon B. Johnson 's projects of the Great Society, the Civil Rights Act Of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Assassinations The 1960s were marked by several notable assassinations.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS Counterculture/Social Revolution Many younger generations soon began to rebel towards the conservative norms of the time. This created a counterculture that eventually turned into a social revolution throughout much of the western world. It began in the United States as a reaction against the conservative social norms of the 1950s, the political conservatism (and perceived social repression) of the Cold War period, and the US government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam. The main group from the movement were called Hippies . Together they created a new liberated stance for society including the Sexual Revolution , questioning authority and the government, and more freedoms and rights for women, gays, and minorities. The movement was marked with drug use ( LSD , and Marijuana ), and Psychedelia music. Anti-War Movement A mass movement began rising in opposition to the ''." Other terms included '' The Draft '', '' Draft Dodger '', '' Conscientious Objector '', and '' Vietnam Vet ''. Voter age-limits were challenged by the phrase: "If you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough to vote." Civil Rights Stimulated by this movement, but growing beyond it, were large numbers of student-age youth, beginning with the "'' referring to traditional management/government, and ''"pigs"'' referring to police using excessive force. New Left The rapid rise of a " New Left " employed the rhetoric of Marxism but had little organizational connection with older Marxist organizations such as the Communist Party , and even less connection with the supposed focus of Marxist politics, the organized labor movement, and consisted of ephemeral campus-based Trotskyist , Maoist and Anarchist groups, some of which by the end of the 1960s had turned to Terrorism . TECHNOLOGY The and Buzz Aldrin , in July 1969. American automobiles evolved through the stream-lined, Jet -inspired designs for sportscars such as the Pontiac GTO and the Plymouth Barracuda , Ford Mustang , and the Chevrolet Corvette .
POPULAR CULTURE The overlapping, but somewhat different, movement of youth cultural radicalism was manifested by the Hippies and the Counter-culture , whose emblematic moments were the Summer Of Love in San Francisco in 1967 and the Woodstock Festival in 1969 . The sub-culture, associated with this movement, spread the recreational use of Cannabis and other drugs, particularly new semi-synthetic drugs such as LSD . The era heralded the rejection and a reformation by Hippies of traditional Christian notions on spirituality, leading to the widespread introduction of Eastern and ethnic religious thinking to western values and concepts concerning one's religious and Spiritual development. Psychedelic Drugs , especially LSD , were popularly used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the 1960s. Psychedelia influenced the music, artwork and movies of the decade. Music Popular music entered an era of "all hits" as numerous singers released recordings, beginning in the 1950s , as 45-rpm "singles" (with another on the Flip Side ), and Radio Station s tended to play only the most popular of the wide variety of records being made. Also, bands tended to record only the best of their songs as a chance to become a hit record. The developments of the '' Motown Sound '', ''" Folk Rock "'' and the '' British Invasion '' of bands from the U.K. ( The Beatles , The Dave Clark Five , The Rolling Stones , And So On ), are major examples of American listeners expanding from the Folksinger , Doo-wop and Saxophone sounds of the 1950s and evolving to include Psychedelia music. The rise of an Alternative Culture among affluent youth, creating a huge market for Rock and Blues music produced by drug-culture, influenced bands such as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , The Grateful Dead , Jefferson Airplane , Janis Joplin , Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Doors , and also for radical music in the Folk tradition pioneered by Bob Dylan , The Mamas And The Papas , and Joan Baez in the United States, and in England, Donovan was helping to create folk rock. Significant events in music in the 1960s:
Film Popular American movies of the 1960s include ''; Easy Rider .'' The Counterculture Revolution had a big effect on '' ('' 1968 ''), and Roman Polanski 's '' Rosemary's Baby (film) '' ('' 1968 '') are examples of this new, edgy direction. Films of this time also focused on the changes happening in the world. Dennis Hopper 's '' Easy Rider '' ('' 1969 '') focused on the drug culture of the time. Movies also became more sexually explicit, such as Roger Vadim 's'' Barbarella '' ('' 1968 '') as the Sexual Revolution progressed. In Europe, ''; '' L'avventura ''; '' La Notte ''; '' Blowup ''; '' Satyricon ''; '' Accattone ''; '' The Gospel According To St. Matthew ''; '' Theorem ''; '' Breathless '';'' Vivre Sa Vie ''; '' Contempt ''; '' Bande à Part ''; '' Alphaville ''; '' Pierrot Le Fou ''; '' Week End ''; '' Shoot The Piano Player ''; '' Jules And Jim ''; '' Fahrenheit 451 '';'' Last Year At Marienbad '';'' Dont Look Back ''; '' Chronique D'un été ''; '' Titicut Follies ''; '' High School ''; '' Salesman ''; '' La Jetée ''; '' Warrendale '' The sixties were about experimentation. With the explosion of light-weight and affordable cameras, the underground ''; '' Scorpio Rising ''; '' Wavelength ''; '' Chelsea Girls '';'' Blow Job ''; '' Vinyl ''; '' Flaming Creatures ''. Significant events in the film industry in the 1960s:
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES In the United States
In Canada
In the UK
In Europe
In Mexico The peak of the student and New Left protests in 1968 coincided with political upheavals in a number of other countries. Although these events often sprung from completely different causes, they were influenced by reports and images of what was happening in the United States and France. Students in in which hundreds were killed.
In the Commonwealth Australia and New Zealand committed troops to the Vietnam war with controversy and war protests. Canada celebrated its 100th anniversary of confederation in 1967 by hosting Expo 67 , the World's Fair, in Montreal , Quebec . In Eastern Europe In Eastern Europe students also drew inspiration from the protests in the West. In Poland and Yugoslavia they protested against restrictions on free speech by Communist regimes. In Czechoslovakia 1968 was the year of Alexander Dubček ’s Prague Spring , a source of inspiration to many Western leftists who admired Dubček's "socialism with a human face". The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August ended these hopes and also fatally damaged the chances of the orthodox Communist Parties drawing many recruits from the student protest movement.
In Africa The transformation of Africa from Colonialism to Independence dramatically accelerated during the decade. In China In the People's Republic Of China the mid-1960s were also a time of massive upheaval and the Red Guard rampages of Mao Zedong 's Cultural Revolution had some superficial resemblances to the student protests in the West. The Maoist groups that briefly flourished in the West in this period saw in Chinese Communism a more revolutionary, less bureaucratic, model of Socialism . Most of them were rapidly disillusioned when Mao welcomed Richard Nixon to China in 1972 . People in China, however, saw the Nixon Visit as a victory in that they believed the United States would concede that Mao Zedong-thought was superior to Capitalism (this was the Party stance on the visit in late 1971 and early 1972). In South America The Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara travelled to Africa and then Bolivia in his campaigning to spread worldwide revolution. He was killed in 1967 by Bolivian government forces, but in the process became an iconic figure for the student left. PEOPLE Artists, intellectuals, political figures, writers and the rest Artists
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SPORT There were six Olympics held during the decade. These were: 1960 XVII Summer Olympics — Rome , Italy 1960 VIII Winter Olympics — Squaw Valley , USA 1964 XVIII Summer Olympics — Tokyo , Japan 1964 IX Winter Olympics — Innsbruck , Austria 1968 XIX Summer Olympics — Mexico City , Mexico 1968 X Winter Olympics — Grenoble , France There were two FIFA World Cup s during the decade: 1962 FIFA World Cup — Chile (winner Brazil ) 1966 FIFA World Cup — England (winner England ) The ten European Cup winners during the decade were:
The ten Formula One World Championship Winners were: 1960 — Jack Brabham 1961 — Phil Hill 1962 — Graham Hill 1963 — Jim Clark 1964 — John Surtees 1965 — Jim Clark 1966 — Jack Brabham 1967 — Denny Hulme 1968 — Graham Hill 1969 — Jackie Stewart In baseball, the World Series champions during the decade were: 1960 - Pittsburgh Pirates 1961 - New York Yankees 1962 - New York Yankees 1963 - Los Angeles Dodgers 1964 - St. Louis Cardinals 1965 - Los Angeles Dodgers 1966 - Baltimore Orioles 1967 - St. Louis Cardinals 1968 - Detroit Tigers 1969 - New York Mets The National Football League champions during the decade were: 1960 - Philadelphia Eagles 1961 - Green Bay Packers 1962 - Green Bay Packers 1963 - Chicago Bears 1964 - Cleveland Browns 1965 - Green Bay Packers 1966 - Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl I 1967 - Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl II 1968 - Baltimore Colts 1969 - Minnesota Vikings The American Football League champions during the decade were: 1960 - Houston Oilers 1961 - Houston Oilers 1962 - Dallas Texans 1963 - San Diego Chargers 1964 - Buffalo Bills 1965 - Buffalo Bills 1966 - Kansas City Chiefs 1967 - Oakland Raiders 1968 - New York Jets won Super Bowl III 1969 - Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl IV The National Hockey League 's Stanley Cup champions of the decade were: 1960 - Montreal Canadiens 1961 - Chicago Black Hawks 1962 - Toronto Maple Leafs 1963 - Toronto Maple Leafs 1964 - Toronto Maple Leafs 1965 - Montreal Canadiens 1966 - Montreal Canadiens 1967 - Toronto Maple Leafs 1968 - Montreal Canadiens 1969 - Montreal Canadiens The National Basketball Association champions of the decade were: 1960 - Boston Celtics 1961 - Boston Celtics 1962 - Boston Celtics 1963 - Boston Celtics 1964 - Boston Celtics 1965 - Boston Celtics 1966 - Boston Celtics 1967 - Philadelphia 76ers 1968 - Boston Celtics 1969 - Boston Celtics The Canadian Football League 's Grey Cup champions of the decade were: 1960 - Ottawa Rough Riders 1961 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1962 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1963 - Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1964 - British Columbia Lions 1965 - Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1966 - Saskatchewan Roughriders 1967 - Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1968 - Ottawa Rough Riders 1969 - Ottawa Rough Riders REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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