What caused the youth movement of the 1960s

The youth of 1960s were baby boomers – a large generation born immediately after WW II which brought to the US an unprecedented prosperity. This affluence was a well merited reward of their parents’ hard work, sacrifices and heroic efforts resulting in Allies’ victory. Loans and privileges granted to millions of war veterans by the GI Bill permitted them to considerably improve their living standards and raise their children in unprecedented comfort and security. The majority of baby boomers grew up in suburban private houses and received much better education than their parents. Indeed, it was a spoiled generation which never experienced any hardships and took for granted material wellbeing created by their parents. Moreover they hated uniformity and boredom of quiet suburban life and looked for new meaning of their existence. Unsatisfied by dull reality of their homes baby boomers rejected traditional moral values and created their own youth culture based on social protest, sexual revolution and use of drugs. They passionately protested against such evils of capitalist society as poverty, ethnical and racial segregation, as well as against aggressive imperialist policy of the US waging shameful war in Vietnam and trying to smash revolutionary movements in Latin America and Asia. Obviously, youth movement of 1960s was inspired by the civil rights struggle of African Americans and such events as Cuban revolution and decolonization of Africa and Asia. It was also a reaction to post war conservatism of American society and anticommunist witch hunt.

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