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Difficulty: MediumCounterculture and Youth Rebellion

Excerpt from a leaflet distributed by the San Francisco Diggers, a community action group, 1967:

"We are hip to the fact that to be free, one must give up the illusion of property. We are creating a free city within the city, where food, shelter, clothing, and medical care are shared without money. The capitalist machine demands your conformity and your labor to produce weapons for imperialist wars. We choose to drop out, create our own cooperative culture, and live without the constraints of the establishment."

Which of the following developments in the 1960s was the most direct cause of the sentiments expressed in the excerpt?

  1. The rejection of post-Second World War middle-class conformity and consumerism by many young people.Answer
  2. B
    The disillusionment of expatriate writers fleeing the rise of corporate capitalism after the First World War.
  3. C
    The electoral rise of a conservative 'silent majority' demanding a return to traditional social values and law and order.
  4. D
    The successful elimination of urban poverty through the federal funding of the Great Society programs.

Answer

The rejection of post-Second World War middle-class conformity and consumerism by many young people.
The correct answer is the option identifying the rejection of post-Second World War middle-class conformity and consumerism. During the 1960s, the counterculture movement developed as young people increasingly challenged the social, political, and economic norms of the post-war consensus. The Diggers' effort to establish a cooperative lifestyle free from money and property represents a radical manifestation of this cultural rebellion against suburban consumerism.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document.
The leaflet from the San Francisco Diggers (1967) advocates for communal sharing of resources, living without money, rejecting the capitalist machine, and refusing to support imperialist wars.
Understanding the core argument of the source helps identify the political and cultural context of the counterculture.
2
Place the stimulus in the broader context of Period 8 (1945–1980).
The 1960s counterculture emerged as a direct challenge to the domestic conformity, consumerism, and consensus of the post-Second World War era, as well as the foreign policy decisions associated with the Vietnam War.
This links the specific actions of the Diggers to the broader societal trends of the era.
3
Evaluate the options against the historical context.
The option referencing the rejection of middle-class conformity and consumerism directly aligns with the Diggers' call to 'drop out' and live without property or money. The other choices either represent different historical eras (the 1920s) or represent consequences of, rather than causes for, this counterculture movement.
Selecting the correct cause-and-effect relationship based on historical developments.

Key Concept

Rejection of the Post-War Consensus and Rise of the Counterculture
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Topics

Counterculture and Youth Rebellion

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