Causes, Consequences, and Legacies of Cultural Conflicts in the 1960s

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Cultural Conflicts of the 1960s
Introduction
A cultural conflict refers to the dislike, hostility, or struggle between or among communities that differ in philosophies that guide daily life, resulting in a contradiction in societal behaviors and aspirations. According to Hartman (9), "the sixties were unusual" in America's history because there was an emergence of a counterculture that aimed to revolutionize the American historical culture. The current paper briefly explores the causes, consequences, and legacies of the sixties cultural conflict and establishes how it relates to earlier conflicts.
Causes of Cultural Conflicts
Several factors might have led to the American cultural conflict of the sixties. Prominent among these include the far-reaching influence of the Civil Rights Movement and the persisting Vietnam war. In the first instance, the long-downplayed conflicts between men and women and between White and African Americans became the subjects of public debates. In other words, America was no longer a decent country but marred by racism and sexism. In the second instance, the raging Vietnam war had taken fifty-seven thousand American lives, and three million Vietnamese caused the American public to question the purpose of the war. Thus, the two instances, alongside issues like the 'dead American dream,' caused the youth to rally for change against a largely conservative status quo.
Consequences and Legacies
The consequences of the cultural conflict include protests to end the Vietnamese War and solve racism and sexism in the country. Thus, there were brutal police responses to protests while the government enhanced its spy networks, especially against emerging youth movements such as the Student's for a Democratic Society (SDS). Hartman argues that while the sixties movement might have failed to revolutionize the American political systems...