In the UK, the Profumo affair also involved establishment leaders being caught in deception, leading to disillusionment and serving as a catalyst for liberal activism. Internal political disagreements concerning treaty obligations in Southeast Asia ( SEATO), especially in Vietnam, and debate as to how other communist insurgencies should be challenged, also created a rift of dissent within the establishment. The Partial Test Ban Treaty divided the establishment within the US along political and military lines. Over the nature of the 1960 U-2 incident resulted in the government being caught in a blatant lie at the highest levels, and contributed to a backdrop of growing distrust of authority among many who came of age during the period. Examples included harsh responses from Soviet Union (USSR) towards popular anti-communist uprisings, such as the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring in 1968 and the botched US Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961. Poor outcomes from some of these activities set the stage for disillusionment with and distrust of, post-war governments.
The Cold War between communist and capitalist states involved espionage and preparation for war between powerful nations, along with political and military interference by powerful states in the internal affairs of less powerful nations. Underwater atomic test " Baker", Bikini Atoll, Pacific Ocean, 1946 4.11 Religion, spirituality and the occult.4.3.2 Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.4.3.1 Psychedelic research and experimentation.
4.3 Marijuana, LSD, and other recreational drugs.1.4.1 Emergent middle-class drug culture.Kennedy in November 1963, became absorbed into the popular culture with the termination of US combat military involvement in Southeast Asia, and ultimately concluded with the end of the draft in 1973 and the resignation of President Richard Nixon in August 1974. In general, the counterculture era commenced in earnest with the assassination of John F. The era was also notable in that a significant portion of the array of behaviors and "causes" within the larger movement were quickly assimilated within mainstream society, particularly in the US, even though counterculture participants numbered in the clear minority within their respective national populations. Post-war affluence allowed much of the counterculture generation to move beyond the provision of the material necessities of life that had preoccupied their Depression-era parents. The post-World War II baby boom generated an unprecedented number of potentially disaffected youth as prospective participants in a rethinking of the direction of the United States and other democratic societies. Several factors distinguished the counterculture of the 1960s from the anti-authoritarian movements of previous eras.
Everyday fashion experienced a decline of the suit and especially of the wearing of hats styles based around jeans, for both men and women, became an important fashion movement that has continued up to the present day. Within and across many disciplines, many other creative artists, authors, and thinkers helped define the counterculture movement. This embrace of experimentation is particularly notable in the works of popular musical acts such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan, as well as of New Hollywood filmmakers, whose works became far less restricted by censorship. Īs the era unfolded, what emerged were new cultural forms and a dynamic subculture that celebrated experimentation, modern incarnations of Bohemianism, and the rise of the hippie and other alternative lifestyles. Many key movements related to these issues were born or advanced within the counterculture of the 1960s. As the 1960s progressed, widespread social tensions also developed concerning other issues, and tended to flow along generational lines regarding human sexuality, women's rights, traditional modes of authority, rights of non-white people, end of racial segregation and white supremacy, experimentation with psychoactive drugs, and differing interpretations of the American Dream. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights movement in the United States continued to grow, and with the intensification of the Vietnam War, it would later become revolutionary to some. The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s.