The Sixties Revisited
We must know where we have been in order to know where we are heading for. A glance at the past clearly shows us the path we have been treading that brought us to where we are today. It is almost inconceivable and impossible to divorce ourselves from the legends of our predecessors. For which reason we will take a brisk walk down memory lane, refresh our minds and acknowledge the achievements of those who brought us to where we are now. We will begin with the 1960s - an era marked by sociocultural revolutions and reforms.
For a myriad of reasons the 1960s stands out in time as being one of the most volatile eras of the past where many fundamental reforms took birth and several movements to bring about change took place. It was a time when societies underwent various kinds of transformations. The Sixties was a time when people around the world stood up in unison to protest against social oppression, atrocities in all guises and initiated several movements to address those issues. Examples of some of the more noteworthy movements for reform would be the revival of feminism, cultural awareness, the reinforcement of individual liberties and rights. The reforms introduced in the sixties embrace the entire globe from the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia to virtually include the entire world. In the USA John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and America got involved in the Vietnam War. The Sixties in American culture and politics, also popularly termed as the Swinging Sixties, is used to define the counterculture and social revolutions in the decade. The 1960s is an era marked by cultural changes and the relaxing of social norms. The 1960s also heralded the beginning of several radical worldwide movements such as the gay rights movement which started in the USA and then permeated the world.
In the East, China also underwent a cultural and political revolution which was initiated in the mid 60s spearheaded by Mao Zedong, the chairman of the Communist Party of China. Also there was the threat of nuclear warfare in the air and China detonated its first atomic bomb in 1964 and created the hydrogen bomb also in the 1960s. In Africa many countries broke free of colonialism. However, the dominating aspects of the 1960s are the counterculture and social revolutions of the times. This movement originated in the USA and spread through most of the Western world. The younger generation involved in the counterculture movement were popularly called hippies. These groups created a movement for more freedom and civil liberties, initiated the sexual revolution and were also very vocal for more freedoms and rights for minorities and women. The hippie culture was also known for the legalization of certain drugs such as LSD and marijuana and for psychedelic music.
The United States was marked with civil rights movements as African Americans started protesting vehemently against racial discrimination. The most noteworthy and famous person in this movement for equal rights for blacks is Martin Luther King who was later assassinated. A second wave feminism revolution took birth which broke down the last remaining legal barriers to women's personal freedom and professional success giving them equal rights and paving the way for gender equality. In music we see immortal bands like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, The Doors and many more. The youths of the 1960s were more aware and active in many social movements. Today’s youth needs to look at the 1960s youth culture in order to find themselves. The movements initiated during the 1960s gathered momentum throughout the 1970s, 1980s up to the present paving the way for major reforms, innovations and progress.
In the pages of our past the 1960s stands out from all the other eras as being an exceptional era of revolutionary changes and reforms and not to say a most exciting time for the world. Next week we will delve into the cultural and scientific aspects of the 1960s. I will bring you the most outstanding artists of the time in music and cinematography, look into other cultural aspects and movements which marks off the Swinging Sixties as being an era of transformations and a significant pivotal turning point for the world at large. Stay tuned!
In the pages of our past the 1960s stands out from all the other eras as being an exceptional era of revolutionary changes and reforms and not to say a most exciting time for the world. Next week we will delve into the cultural and scientific aspects of the 1960s. I will bring you the most outstanding artists of the time in music and cinematography, look into other cultural aspects and movements which marks off the Swinging Sixties as being an era of transformations and a significant pivotal turning point for the world at large. Stay tuned!
Courtesy:
The 60s: Literary Tradition and Social Change, exhibit at the University of Virginia, Library, Special Collections.
By Afsana Pasha
What marks off the Sixties are the revolutionary counterculture movements like the hippie culture. Today's youths must look at the youths of the 1960s in order to find themselves...Courtesy www.youtube.com
Beatlemania in the Swinging Sixties:
By Afsana Pasha
The 60s
1960s Women's Liberation Movement
This picture speaks a thousand words about the 1960s Women's Liberation Movement. With the tides of the social movements during the 1960s feminism was also revived and women took to the streets to protest insubordination & to demand equal rights...Courtesy www.google.com
By Afsana Pasha
(1960s)The assassinated United States President
The 1960s in Pictures: The assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy is shown here with his timeless words. There is a certain enigma surrounding the assassination of the Kennedy brothers as well as outrage. JFK is one of those people whom we can consider to be immortal and for all eras not only the 1960s...Courtesy www.google.com
By Afsana Pasha
Welcome back to the 1960s...
As you are aware the 60s was a time of transformation throughout the world. It was period of reawakening marked by various kinds of social movements and reforms. Also it was a time of social, political and cultural progress and change. Now we will glance at the scientific and technological aspect of the 60s to see how we arrived in the digital age we live in today.
Scientifically in the domain of space exploration during the 1960s there was strong rivalry between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The assassinated American president John F. Kennedy vowed to land a man on the moon within the 1960s. In his own words, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." True to his words on July 20, 1969 the Apollo 11 became the very first human spaceflight to land on the moon spearheaded by mission Commander Neil Armstrong. The space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union was the dominating theme in science during the 1960s. The USSR successfully landed several space shuttles into outer space but eventually it was the USA that won the space race.
In the booming automobile industry the 1960s witnessed the car market split into different size classes comprising of models which included compact and mid-sized cars in addition to full-sized car models. Japanese automobiles also gained a market share in the West and introduced popular economy models such as the Toyota Corolla, Datsun 510 and the first widely accepted Japanese sports car the Datsun 240Z.
In the domain of electronics and communication the 1960s boasts of leaping progress with the internet having its roots in this decade. The first ever computer video game, Spacewar!, was introduced in 1962 followed by the debut of the touch-tone telephones in 1963. Following that the minicomputer Digital Equipment Corporation's 12-bit PDP-8 was marketed in 1964. Color TVs were also introduced in Europe and the first ATM was inaugurated in Barclays Bank in London in 1967. In the realm of medicine and drugs the birth control pill was introduced in 1960 in the USA while in 1967 the very first heart transplantation operation was conducted by Professor Christiaan Barnard in South Africa.
Finally, let us suffice it to say that we owe the wonderful achievements we enjoy in the present thanks to our predecessors and especially to those who discovered the miracles of science among other accomplishments and inventions in the colorful flamboyant 1960s. The 1960s is indeed one of the more memorable chapters of our past reaching out to the present. Therefore, we owe a proper tribute to all those exceptional individuals who made the 1960s a pivotal turning point for all of us here today.
By Afsana Pasha
American entanglement in Vietnam brought about many protests some of which are highlighted here. The Americans paid a high price for their involvement in the Vietnam War in order to curb the spread of communism.
By Afsana Pasha
The 1960s Ford Mustang - one of the dashing American automobiles of the Swinging Sixties.
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Car manufacturing blossomed to include models which comprised of compact and mid-sized cars in addition to full-sized car models. Japan also spread into the Western market share with its unique line of economy cars like Corolla and Datsun.
Courtesy www.google.com.
By Afsana Pasha
The 60s band The Grateful Dead which came to symbolize many of the movements in the Sixties was more than just music or leisure.
The Grateful Dead were formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California and ranked 57th in the issue The Greatest Artists of all Time by Rolling Stone magazine. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide. Courtesy www.youtube.com.
Description: The Apollo 11 became the very first human spaceflight to land on the moon spearheaded by mission Commander Neil Armstrong. The 1960s was characterized with rivalry between the USA and the former USSR with the USA winning the space race. Courtesy www.google.com.
By Afsana Pasha
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