The 1960s Cultural Revolution

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Progressing at a dizzying, frenetic pace, the 1960s were synonymous with rebellion and conflict. No other decade in the 20th century was so tumultuous. This gripping and engagingly written guide to the forces that shaped the 1960s cultural revolution examines the New Left, the antiwar movement, and the counterculture. A narrative historical overview puts the decade in perspective. Essays follow on each of the above topics, and a concluding essay discusses the legacy of the era. The work also features a wealth of ready reference materiala comprehensive timeline of events in the 1960s, biographical profiles of key players, the text of important primary documents associated with the political, social and cultural rebellion, a glossary of terms, and a helpful annotated bibliography of print and nonprint materials suitable for students. The author, an expert in the social history of the era, examines the political activism, protests, music, and social conduct that made the 1960s such an extraordinary era. He also demonstrates that contrary to popular thinking, only a small minority of the baby boomers who came of age then were directly involved in student demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, or antisocial behavior that many Americans perceive as typical of the 1960s. Bringing to life the passion of the era are the texts of primary documents such as statements from the Students for a Democratic Society, speeches by leaders of the student protest movement and the Hippies, interviews, and responses from establishment politicians. The analytical essays, primary documents, and ready-reference material will help students to gain a deeper understanding of the period.

Reviews

.,."useful as a reference text for collections serving general and undergraduate students."-Choice
...useful as a reference text for collections serving general and undergraduate students.-Choice
If you were there when The Beatles rocked on "The Ed Sullivan Show," anti-war demonstrators and police clashed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and television correspondents reported from the steaming battlefields of Vietnam, McWilliams' book puts the 1960's in perspective....If, however, the decade of the Soaring 60's is just a chapter in history to you, then McWilliams fills in the nuances, adds the flavor, defines the players and brings to life a time that seemed out of step in America but inevitably and ultimately set the pace for what we have become today....McWilliams' book more than meets the criteria for a historical text, but it performs even better as a societal diary allowing readers to relive or share an era that was much too hot to be cool and much too frenetic to be forgotten.-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)
One of those books that should be purchased for the circulating collection as well as the reference shelves.-Harrisburg Patriot News
Written in an engaging, readable style....This is a fascinating and comprehensible book that succeeds in making sense of a tumultuous time in the political, social, and cultural development of America. A fine resource for reports and for interested readers.-School Library Journal
..."useful as a reference text for collections serving general and undergraduate students."-Choice
"One of those books that should be purchased for the circulating collection as well as the reference shelves."-Harrisburg Patriot News
"Written in an engaging, readable style....This is a fascinating and comprehensible book that succeeds in making sense of a tumultuous time in the political, social, and cultural development of America. A fine resource for reports and for interested readers."-School Library Journal
"If you were there when The Beatles rocked on "The Ed Sullivan Show," anti-war demonstrators and police clashed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and television correspondents reported from the steaming battlefields of Vietnam, McWilliams' book puts the 1960's in perspective....If, however, the decade of the Soaring 60's is just a chapter in history to you, then McWilliams fills in the nuances, adds the flavor, defines the players and brings to life a time that seemed out of step in America but inevitably and ultimately set the pace for what we have become today....McWilliams' book more than meets the criteria for a historical text, but it performs even better as a societal diary allowing readers to relive or share an era that was much too hot to be cool and much too frenetic to be forgotten."-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)

Author Bio

JOHN C. McWILLIAMS is associate professor of history at Penn State University-DuBois. His special area of interest is American social-political history since World War II. He is author of The Protectors: Harry J. Anslinger and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 1930-1962 (1990) and is currently working on a history of corrections in Pennsylvania.