Unveiling the Global Sixties
Social Movements, Cultural Change, and International Revolution
- Textbook
Unveiling the Global Sixties
Social Movements, Cultural Change, and International Revolution
- Textbook
Available for purchase via Bloomsbury etextbooks on publication date
Description
Exploring the transformative and tumultuous decade of the 1960s, Unveiling the Global Sixties follows the sweeping changes that shaped its cultural, political and social landscapes. From the ashes of World War II emerged a period of revolution, and this book guides readers through the intricate web of events, ideologies and personalities that defined it.
Starting with the post-war period that set the scene for the 1960s, it then turns to the high-stakes rivalry of the Cold War, the countercultural movements and sexual revolution that redefined societal norms, the worldwide anti-war protests that ignited change, anticolonial struggles and independence movements across the globe, and the complex relationship between environmental awareness and modern consumerism. Without neglecting the key developments associated with the West, the book will give significant treatment, among other topics, to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East, the struggle of African nations for independence, the impact of the Cold War on nonaligned nations, and key developments in Latin America. This survey provides a holistic understanding of a decade that reverberates in contemporary culture and continues to impact our world today.
Table of Contents
i) The Global Sixties – Preview and Overview
ii) Literature Review
iii) Why this book?
iv) Approach, Selection, and Arrangement of Topics
v) Goals and Themes
1. “The Times They Are A-Changin'”: Seeds of Change
i) The End of the Second World War and Postwar Reconstruction
ii) The Origins of the Cold War and its Geopolitical Context
iii) Decolonization and the Global Struggle for Independence
iv) Literary and Cultural Trends in the 1950s
v) The Sandinista Movement in Nicaragua, the Cuban Revolution, and U.S. Involvement in Latin America
vi) U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa and the Third World: The Killing of Lumumba
vii)Mao Zedong and the Great Leap Forward in China
2. “Eve of Destruction”: The Cold War and the Global Sixties
i) The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis: Geopolitical Interests and Consequences
ii) The People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the Dynamics of the Cold War
iii) Global and Geopolitical Implications of the Space Race
iv) Sports, the Olympics, and Cold War Politics
v) The Cold War, Third World Interventions, and Economic Interests
vi) Literature, Culture, and the Global Implications of the Cold War
3. “We Shall Overcome”: Civil Rights, Grassroots Organizers, and Social Justice
i) Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Grassroots Organizers in the United States
ii) The Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movement
iii) Nelson Mandela and the Fight Against Apartheid in South Africa
iv) Indigenous Rights and Advocacy in Canada
v) The Second Wave of Feminism and Its Global Implications
vi) LBGTQ+ Activism and the Stonewall Riots
vii)The New Left and Its Impact on Global Protest Culture (1960s)
4. “People Got to Be Free”: Anticolonialism and Independence Movements
i) Vietnam: The Pinnacle of Anticolonial Struggles and US Intervention
ii) Algeria and Independence Struggles in Africa: Geostrategic Interests
iii) The Soviet Union, China, and the Third World
iv) Liberation Theology and Revolutionary Movements in Latin America: US Influence
v) Singapore and Independence Struggles in Asia: Cold War Context
vi) Israel, the Arab World, and the 1967 Six-Day War
5. “Talking about My Generation”: The Baby Boom, Sexual Revolution, Popular Culture, and the Counterculture
i) Beatlemania and Popular Music in the Early Sixties
ii) The Sexual Revolution
iii) Pop Art, Fashion, Theatre, and the Rise of the Avant Garde
iv) Hippies, San Francisco, and the Summer of Love
v) The Psychedelic Beatles and the Transformation of Music and Culture in the Later Sixties
6. “Street Fighting Man”: Vietnam, Anti-War Movements and Global Protest
i) The Vietnam War and Global Anti-War Protests
ii) The Sino-Soviet Split and Its Influence on Global Protest Movements
iii) The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China and Its Impact
iv) Japan's Student Activism: The Vanguard of Change
v) Paris 1968
vi) Protests in Britain, West Germany, and Other Western European Countries
vii)Prague 1968 and Protests in the Communist Bloc: Geopolitical Ramifications
viii) Mexico City 1968 and Protests in Latin America: US Involvement
7. “They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot”: Modern Consumerism and Environmentalism
i) Japan's Economic Transformation and Technological Advancements
ii) Western Consumer Society and Its Global Impact
iii) The Origins of the Modern Environmental Movement and its Political Dimension
iv) Rachel Carson's, Silent Spring and Its Impact on Environmental Policy
v) The Great Barrier Reef Campaign in Australia: Economic and Political Motivations
vi) Environmental Concerns in Literature and Culture: Geopolitical Theme
8. The Sixties in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: Political, Cultural, and Social Dynamics
i) Khrushchev, Destalinization, and the State of the Soviet Union at the Start of the Sixties
ii) 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 Sixties
v) Outliers in the Communist World: Yugoslavia and Albania
9. “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”: Literature, Film, Radio, and Television
i) Trends in Popular Fiction
ii) Literary Trends
iii) Cinematic Trends
iv) Radio
v) Television
10. “The Age of Aquarius”: Shifting Paradigms in Religion and Spirituality
i) Transcendental Meditation and Eastern Spirituality: Cultural and Political Context
ii) Christianity in the Sixties: The Vatican Reforms and the Ecumenical Movement
iii) Influence of Eastern Philosophy on Western Culture
iv) LSD, Psychedelic Drugs, and the Counterculture's Exploration of Altered States of Consciousness
v) New Age Mysticism; Cultural and Political Dimensions
vi) Reaction: The Origins of Religious Fundamentalism and Its Political Implications
11. “By the Time We Got to Woodstock”: Legacy and Lessons
i) The Transition to the 1970s: Cultural and Geopolitical Shifts
ii) The Lasting Impact of the Global Sixties: Political and Economic Consequences
iii) The Continued Influence of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China on Global Politics
iv) Lessons: Successes and Failures in the Context of Geopolitics
v) The Rise of the New Right: Political Shifts in Key Countries (Post-1960s)
Conclusion
i) Further Reflections on the Significance of the Global Sixties in a Geopolitical Context
ii) The Continuing Relevance of the Decade to Current Times: Geopolitical Considerations
iii) Suggestions for Further Study and Reflection
Product details
| Published | 17 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 384 |
| ISBN | 9781350471771 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 40 bw illus |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |

























