1960s as a Period of Turbulence, Protest, and Disillusionment - Essay Sample

The 60s era is a duration marked by the beginning of 1960 on the first of January, to the end of 1969 in the 31st of December. The period constitutes a time when many states had the highest of hopes regarding the future; noticeably, several expectations were put in place for the incoming leaders. Further, the frontrunners themselves created an atmosphere of hopefulness to seeing the golden age. The situation was visible in several parts of the world, ranging from the American, the Asian to African countries. A study of the period in America, Asia, and Africa proves that the set pinnacle was never realized. That is, the history of the continents is a proof of how right historians are to regard the era as formless.

The presence of peace in a country is often indicated by the level of political stability the country experiences. In the 1960s, several states lacked this feature. At that time, civil wars were widespread, and this was attributed to the political upheaval then. About then, world war two had just ended, and there was a geopolitical tension between the Western and the Eastern bloc in consideration of powers (Kunz 320). Further, in the Asian continent, the Vietnam War that began in 1957 was still going on (Williams n.p). Apart from the two cases, within Africa were civil wars going on. Algerian conflict ended in 1962, while the Nigerian war began about 1967 (Pierce). Necessarily, all the instances above could not allow any growth, marking the era that of turbulence and disillusionment.

Internal conflicts are detrimental to the growth in a nation. In the 60s era, various states faced several economic and political hitches as a result of the skirmishes. In China, for instance, the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution saw to several disagreements among the Chinese themselves. In the fight by a communist Mao Zedong to restore capitalism, a separation occurred as everyone took a side. Even though the fight was alleged to have ended in 1969, all the instability China faced till 1976 was a result of the same (Maslin). In the United States, on the other hand, the Stonewall riots is just but one of the conflicts at that period. During this struggle, there was political upheaval, and several activities were left pending.

Despite the disputes that were going on in the Asian and American states, there was a registered improvement in most African nations. It was about this time that most countries were gaining independence from the long periods of colonization. Such is Nigeria, which gained independence in 1960. In as much as such periods were marked with joy and celebration, it is also important to note the fights to such freedom was a process that left most countries brought to the roots. What is more, even after the liberation, political leaders who were worse than the colonialists were bestowed with power and the result was not as was hoped for (Pierce). Several countries, Nigeria being one of them, were disillusioned. Henceforth, despite the thrill of freedom, there were losses recorded as well.

Considerably, the era, as portrayed by the four continents that the study is based on, was a reflection of what historians say about it currently. Disillusion was present in almost all the decisions the states made then. Moreover, most of the times protests followed any choices made by the politicians for the countries. In all the continents, there was a form of intense atmosphere that saw to no much improvement. Though there were registered improvements, the drawbacks were more than the good. Therefore, it is entirely accurate to agree with the historian's view of the 60s era as a duration of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment.

Works Cited

Kunz, Diane. The Diplomacy of the Crucial Decade: American Foreign Relations during the 1960s. Columbia University Press, 1994.

Maslin, Janet. Brokaw Explores Another Turning Point, the 60s. New York Post, 5 Nov. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/books/05masl.html

Pierce, David. Decolonization and the Collapse of the British Empire. Inquiries Journal, vol. 1, no. 10, 2009, www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/5/decolonization-and-the-collapse-of-the-british-empire

Williams, Yohuru. THE 1960S. History, www.history.com/topics/1960s