Causes of the Social Upheaval of the 1960's - Essay Example

Causes of the Social Upheaval of the 1960's Major political, cultural and social changes all over the world characterized the decade, making it distinct from all others in recent human history. Most countries got their independence from their colonizers, social beliefs and attitudes against taboos relaxed, and society started tolerating many previously unacceptable tendencies. Many movements started and gained momentum in their fight against what they considered evils in the society. Examples of movements include feminist movement, antiwar movement, gay rights movement, counterculture movement, Hispanic and Chicano movement and African American rights movement among others. Most of these movements were socialist in nature advocating for equality of persons regardless of their race, gender or sexuality. However, the antiwar movement stood out since it campaigned against the extensive involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. The social upheaval of the sixties occurred between the late 1950s and early to late 1960s, resulting in public unrests and mass action against the government and other organizations of the day. The campaigners were demonstrating against what they termed as causes of society deterioration; asking responsible authorities to implement changes that would see society improve. First, the movement condemned conservatism, which is the refusal of components of society to accept change. The world had become accustomed to the way things were such that no one wanted any change. Second, the social upheaval wanted an end to the culture of social conformity, where everyone did what they did not because they wanted to, but because it was acceptable to do so. For instance, social conformity made people do evil deeds because they are socially acceptable, instead of doing what is right and taking responsibility for one’s actions. Finally, the social upheaval resulted from the American economic and work force resources that the government was using to support the war in Vietnam. The result of the social upheaval was, among others, the change in social structures to accommodate behaviors perceived as taboos. The aim of this paper is to discuss the social, political and economic conditions of the 1950's that lead to the social upheaval of the 1960's (Land and Lettieri 209). Social Conditions According to Henriksen (28), the atomic bomb that America dropped on Hiroshima had severe effects on the American society. She postulated that the scientists’ attempt and success in breaking down an atom into smaller pieces, resulting in literal breakdown of the American social structure as seen in various art genres of the time. For instance, Henriksen (27) explains that the film industry, among other arts, had hints of effects of the bomb, with War at home and Dr. Strangelove as the main examples. She stated that the movies showed the strengths of the bomb, on one hand, but revealed other negative traits resulting from the effects of the bomb. Some negative effects of the bomb are insecurity among Americans, immorality among the people due to the outrageous act by their country, insanity and rebelliousness as their country did the unthinkable. The fact that the American government used a nuclear head on another country justified all the immoral acts that Americans practiced, according to Henriksen (29). Apart from the effects of the bomb, another social factor that resulted in the social upheaval is the segregation practiced in the United States. Individuals of different races could not share transport systems, restaurants and other amenities; a practice that continued well into the 1960s. For instance, by 1960 only 1 percent of African Americans went to desegregated schools, not forgetting the black church that racists bombed in Birmingham in September 1963, killing 4 girls. Poverty was the most serious evil afflicting the people of America; all the national wealth was in the hands of a few Americans. People were getting richer each day at the expense of the rest of the population, which was living well below the poverty line. Poverty resulted in the rise in mortality rates, drug abuse and crime; making the situation even more desolate for the poor. Ironically, when so many Americans needed the government’s help due to abject poverty, the government was spending the people’s money to further its own agendas in Cuba, Vietnam and other locations where it had stakes worldwide. Finally, the people had become conforming to any standards offered by federal forces such that they assumed destructive habits. For instance, the CIA research on persons between 1950 and 1970 led the public to believe that experimenting on oneself or others is acceptable. As illustrated by Wolfe (58), Kessey and Faye accept that it is alright to experiment with drugs, and they use various drugs on themselves, and other people they found on the way during their country travels. In addition, Kessey and Faye (Wolfe 128) changed every jungle they find to fit their needs; a phenomenon inspired by the habit of their nation’s government attempting to change other nations to fit its image of an ideal state. Political Conditions In the United States, during the Vietnam War, all domestic politics had a basis on whether candidates supported the continuity or cessation of the war. According to Addington (25-100), all American presidents between 1954 and 1972 supported the Vietnam War. The presidents aggravated the war situation by providing the country’s finance, expertise and war artillery towards the annihilation of the opposing communist elements in Vietnam. These presidents include Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon; the latter was the incumbent president when the war ceased, and the social upheaval had achieved one of its motives. However, the war within America was nothing like the one in Vietnam, the government persecuted American citizens that it perceived had any sympathy towards communist regimes. For instance, in 1961 the state of Arizona passed the Arizona Communist Control Act, which required residents to sign the loyalty oath to refute any involvement in communist activities. Failure to sign this oath on request by authorities led to arrest, trial, imprisonment, or even execution. Cuba was another political playground for American presidents, where they not only wanted to control politically, but economically, as well. For instance, there was a standoff between the American and the Russian governments, where the scapegoat was atomic bombs, but it is clear that both wanted to control Cuba politically by overthrowing Fidel Castro. In April 15 1961, American troops bombed Cuba in order to weaken the country politically and on the military front to prevent Cubans from rebelling against American imperialism. Economic Conditions The social upheaval of the 1960 also resulted from the poor economic conditions in which the American people lived. However, this would not have caused much of a problem if the government took more responsibility in its spending by proper prioritization. First, since 1950, Cuba had been an American economic colony; here, the American government and a few rich individuals had vast income-generating ventures in Cuba. However, none of the generated money helped the American people who were languishing in abject poverty in any provable way. On the contrary, the American government spent the money in atomic bomb research among other dubious projects, which triggered anger among the American people. In 1953 to1959 11 percent of American blue collar workers lost their jobs, which is over 1.5 million jobs in total; of these 3,000 were meat packing jobs lost between 1956 and 1959. Instead of helping the situation at home, the American government concentrated its efforts and economic ability on more dubious projects. From 1963 onwards, the American government increased the number of troops in Vietnam from 700 to 1,600 and finally to 485,000. Transporting these troops, catering for their needs and giving them weapons cost the government money that could have been used to rescue American people from poverty (Addington 106). In addition, in 1954 the American people catered for 50 percent of the expenditure of France in Vietnam proving that the government was misdirecting American resources in huge proportions. Conclusion However, the 1960s social upheaval may not have achieved much in terms of reforms; it paved way for stronger movements with highly elaborate organization than it did to fight the war America started. This fight extended to other parts of the world, including the Arab World as replicated in the recent Arab Spring, whereby people learnt the power of mass movement in campaigning against the evils in the society and governance. The evils then may not be the ones present today, but the effect and the motives are similar to the ones held during the 1960s social upheavals. The government of the day may not have addressed all the political, social and economic concerns expressed by the social upheaval, but the United States has made considerable strides in addressing most of them. For instance, though the war against poverty is yet to be won, racism in America these days is either subtle or non-existent. In addition, governments have learnt to listen to the voice of the people, always holding consultations to ensure that key decisions have the welfare of the people in consideration. However, a lot remains undone; both the government and individuals should work together to create a harmonious society. Works Cited Addington, Larry H. America's War in Vietnam: A Short Narrative History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000. Print. Henriksen, Margot A. Dr. Strangelove’s America: Society and Culture in the Atomic Age. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. Print. Land, Gary and Lettieri, R. SAT Subject Test United States History. Washington DC: Research & Education Association, 2005. Print. Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. New York: Picador, 2008. Print. Read More