Unveiling the Global Sixties

Kenneth L. Campbell is Professor of History at Monmouth University, USA. He is the author of eleven books including The Beatles and the 1960s and The History of Britain and Ireland.

It’s a matter of cliché that the 1960s were a transformative time for the United States. But why does the decade hold this outsize significance? And how precisely did it change the course of history? This book takes a breathtakingly comprehensive approach, shining fresh light on old themes like the civil rights revolution and the Vietnam War but also showing how social and political change affected societies around the world. Unveiling the Global Sixties is essential reading for anyone interested in making sense of the 60s — and the roots of our own era.

• Introductioni) The Global Sixties – Preview and Overviewii) Literature Reviewiii) Why this book?iv) Approach, Selection, and Arrangement of Topicsv) Goals and Themes1. “The Times They Are A-Changin’”: Seeds of Changei) The End of the Second World War and Postwar Reconstructionii) The Origins of the Cold War and its Geopolitical Contextiii) Decolonization and the Global Struggle for Independenceiv) Literary and Cultural Trends in the 1950sv) The Sandinista Movement in Nicaragua, the Cuban Revolution, and U.S. Involvement in Latin Americavi) U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa and the Third World: The Killing of Lumumbavii)Mao Zedong and the Great Leap Forward in China2. “Eve of Destruction”: The Cold War and the Global Sixtiesi) The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis: Geopolitical Interests and Consequencesii) The People’s Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the Dynamics of the Cold Wariii) Global and Geopolitical Implications of the Space Raceiv) Sports, the Olympics, and Cold War Politicsv) The Cold War, Third World Interventions, and Economic Interestsvi) Literature, Culture, and the Global Implications of the Cold War3. “We Shall Overcome”: Civil Rights, Grassroots Organizers, and Social Justicei) Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Grassroots Organizers in the United Statesii) The Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movementiii) Nelson Mandela and the Fight Against Apartheid in South Africaiv) Indigenous Rights and Advocacy in Canadav) The Second Wave of Feminism and Its Global Implicationsvi) LBGTQ+ Activism and the Stonewall Riotsvii)The New Left and Its Impact on Global Protest Culture (1960s)4. “People Got to Be Free”: Anticolonialism and Independence Movementsi) Vietnam: The Pinnacle of Anticolonial Struggles and US Interventionii) Algeria and Independence Struggles in Africa: Geostrategic Interestsiii) The Soviet Union, China, and the Third Worldiv) Liberation Theology and Revolutionary Movements in Latin America: US Influencev) Singapore and Independence Struggles in Asia: Cold War Contextvi) Israel, the Arab World, and the 1967 Six-Day War5. “Talking about My Generation”: The Baby Boom, Sexual Revolution, Popular Culture, and the Counterculturei) Beatlemania and Popular Music in the Early Sixtiesii) The Sexual Revolutioniii) Pop Art, Fashion, Theatre, and the Rise of the Avant Garde iv) Hippies, San Francisco, and the Summer of Lovev) The Psychedelic Beatles and the Transformation of Music and Culture in the Later Sixties 6. “Street Fighting Man”: Vietnam, Anti-War Movements and Global Protesti) The Vietnam War and Global Anti-War Protestsii) The Sino-Soviet Split and Its Influence on Global Protest Movementsiii) The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China and Its Impactiv) Japan's Student Activism: The Vanguard of Changev) Paris 1968 vi) Protests in Britain, West Germany, and Other Western European Countriesvii)Prague 1968 and Protests in the Communist Bloc: Geopolitical Ramificationsviii) Mexico City 1968 and Protests in Latin America: US Involvement 7. “They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot”: Modern Consumerism and Environmentalismi) Japan's Economic Transformation and Technological Advancementsii) Western Consumer Society and Its Global Impactiii) The Origins of the Modern Environmental Movement and its Political Dimensioniv) Rachel Carson’s, Silent Spring and Its Impact on Environmental Policyv) The Great Barrier Reef Campaign in Australia: Economic and Political Motivations vi) Environmental Concerns in Literature and Culture: Geopolitical Theme8. The Sixties in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: Political, Cultural, and Social Dynamicsi) Khrushchev, Destalinization, and the State of the Soviet Union at the Start of the Sixtiesii) Political Developments in the Soviet Union iii) Cultural Movements and Exchanges iv) Social Changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and Their Impact on the Global Sixtiesv) Outliers in the Communist World: Yugoslavia and Albania9. “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”: Literature, Film, Radio, and Televisioni) Trends in Popular Fictionii) Literary Trendsiii) Cinematic Trendsiv) Radiov) Television10. “The Age of Aquarius”: Shifting Paradigms in Religion and Spiritualityi) Transcendental Meditation and Eastern Spirituality: Cultural and Political Contextii) Christianity in the Sixties: The Vatican Reforms and the Ecumenical Movementiii) Influence of Eastern Philosophy on Western Cultureiv) LSD, Psychedelic Drugs, and the Counterculture’s Exploration of Altered States of Consciousnessv) New Age Mysticism; Cultural and Political Dimensionsvi) Reaction: The Origins of Religious Fundamentalism and Its Political Implications11. “By the Time We Got to Woodstock”: Legacy and Lessonsi) The Transition to the 1970s: Cultural and Geopolitical Shiftsii) The Lasting Impact of the Global Sixties: Political and Economic Consequencesiii) The Continued Influence of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China on Global Politicsiv) Lessons: Successes and Failures in the Context of Geopoliticsv) The Rise of the New Right: Political Shifts in Key Countries (Post-1960s)Conclusioni) Further Reflections on the Significance of the Global Sixties in a Geopolitical Contextii) The Continuing Relevance of the Decade to Current Times: Geopolitical Considerationsiii) Suggestions for Further Study and Reflection