● The growth of freedom in many aspects of life – civil rights in the USA, the women’s movement, decolonisation in Africa and the youth revolution.
● It was also characterised by the assassination of three important leaders in the USA – John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
● War also played an important part in the 1960s, particularly the Vietnam War and the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
These issues produced the events and personalities that shaped the decade and made it into ‘the best of decades’.
1 Cold War 8 Vatican II 7
Youth culture and revolution
6
Choice of important issues and events in the 1960s
Women’s liberation movement
Key personalities
● ● ● ● ● ●
President John F. Kennedy Martin Luther King Muhammad Ali Betty Friedan Elvis Presley
Pope John XXIII ●
● ● ●
Key issues
● Cold War Civil rights
● Women’s rights Decolonisation Space Race
Modernisation
● ● ●
5 Decolonisation Key events
Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War
Assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King
● ● ● ● ●
Vatican II
Civil rights marches Landing on the Moon Youth demonstrations
Independence for African and Asian countries
1. The Cold War
The Cold War between the USA and the USSR dominated international relations as countries took sides favouring one side or the other (see Chapter 22).
By the end of this chapter, you should decide: • If any of these issues or events do not deserve to be called important.
• If there are any other issues in the 1960s that you think should be included.
4
Civil rights in the USA
2
Space Race 3
Vietnam War
24
Debate the importance of the Cold War
Key Words Nuclear war
In the 1960s, the Cold War produced the building of the Berlin Wall (p. 358), the Cuban Missile Crisis (see p. 360), the Vietnam War and the Space Race.