History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 17

History - Essay Example 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 1950s that lead to the social upheaval of the 1960s (Land and Lettieri 209). 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