Summary:
By some the 1960s are regarded as a period of positive change that brought with it new freedoms. The opening of the Brook Advisory Centre in July 1964, which gave women confidential advice on family planning and contraception, was a turning point in the liberty and freedom of women.
History Question 3 Coren Lass
The 1960s was the time when the post-war gloom was finally over and the establishment's stronghold over power was slipping from the older generation's hands. Youth culture began to take more control due to mass teenage rebellions fuelled by frustration and spending money at their fingertips, more than ever before, according to Macmillan's famous catchphrase, "you've never had it so good." London, followed by the rest of Britain became known as 'Cool Britannia' because of Britain's music, fashion and art scenes. The 'swinging sixties' was in full flow, people were out to have fun, experimenting with new influences. It was also the beginning of 'counter culture,' when teens began to challenge traditional conservative values, something that would not have happened during 1950s Britain, when conventional family values and morals were expected to be kept to, otherwise people would be frowned upon. These family values included refraining from sex before marriage, traditional gender roles and the 'know your place' saying regarding class boundaries.
However, as in every debate, there are two opposing opinions. It is true that to some people, the period of the 1960s was the best of times and to others it was the worst of times. In order for a conclusion to be reached, the following areas will need to be evaluated. These include the revolutionary music, the breakdown of class boundaries and the tolerance of contraception, abortion, divorce and homosexuality, amongst others.
The innovative rock 'n' roll music was significant to many people's opinions of the 1960s because groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones began to make social commentary on the burning issues of the times and was the groups represented. For example, the Rolling Stones were seen to be rebellious in their dress sense, long hairstyles and controversial lyrics, exemplified by their contentious appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in which they performed their song Satisfaction with explicit lyrics in view of in excess of 40 million viewers. For the younger generation, this rebellion represented their own feelings of discontent at society and the establishment. Teenagers wanted more freedom than ever before and were determined to get it. In some peoples' eyes, this was a positive change because it led to a generation of individually minded people who were also forward thinking. On the other hand, some people thought that these young people were not responsible enough to handle all of the freedom given to them and would abuse it and become nuisances.
Another factor that could encourage people to consider the 1960s to be the best of times or the worst of times was the abolition of distinct class boundaries. Whereas in the 1950s there was an accepted way of living of 'knowing your place,' called 'deference,' whereby class boundaries were accepted, the 1960s was eventually evolving into a more egalitarian society where most people had equal opportunities. An analogy of this would be people in a 100m race with some people getting headstarts whilst others had to run the full race. People began to feel that the background you came from should not affect how far you can go in life and the society in Britain in the 1960s changed into a more meritocratic society, where achievements were based on merit, excluding other facts such as wealth and nobility. An example of meritocracy in action was the rise of the Beatles, who originated from unprivileged backgrounds, working class Liverpool. The advantages of a meritocratic society were that everyone had a fighting chance to be successful, if they tried and worked at their goals. Supporters also thought that it encourage people to work hard for their success and taught people not to take what they had for granted ad to appreciate everything they had. Meanwhile, critics of the diminish of class boundaries claim that it meant a lack of respect for higher class people, who would then be discriminated against through no fault of their own.
When evaluating what made people believe that the 1960s was the best of times or the worst of times, it is necessary to include the aspect of real life being portrayed on the nation's new favourite pastime: the television. When the first episode of Coronation Street was broadcasted on ITV in December 1960, a stir was caused. Whilst many people felt that it was important for some people to acknowledge that in Britain not every person was from a middle class background and was educated at Oxford or Cambridge. With Coronation Street came regional accents on TV for the first time, a change from the usual Queen's English that had been used before. People appreciated that it was beneficial to represent normal British life on the television and the new concept of realism was significant. However, with this realism came controversial acts such as swearing and the use of foul language by many of the characters and the acceptance of drugs, which were seen to be bad influences by some. Mary Whitehouse and Margaret Thatcher both famously warned that televisions were corrupting peoples' minds and Thatcher said, "old virtues of respect were denigrated." She also blames the lack of respect nowadays on the 1960s where bad influences were permitted and irreverence by role models such as the Beatles was not frowned upon.
By some the 1960s are regarded as a period of positive change that brought with it new freedoms. The opening of the Brook Advisory Centre in July 1964, which gave women confidential advice on family planning and contraception, was a turning point in the liberty and freedom of women. Long before this, women were campaigning to have equal rights with their male counterparts. The idea that women could now choose to have a career or be a mother meant that they were looked upon as equal in a more egalitarian society. Moreover, the roles in family were changing and it was not necessarily the case that the woman's place was the home. This new egalitarian society was a major advantage of the 1960s, reached not only because of accessible contraception, but by the legalisation of abortion, divorce and homosexuality. All of these new privileges enabled people to have more freedom and opportunities. On the other hand, the Church was unhappy and deemed it morally wrong to allow abortions, which were seen as murder. Religion also disagreed with divorce, contraception and homosexuality but these traditional, conservative values originating from the establishment were taking liberalism on head to head.
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