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Difficulty: MediumCounterculture and Youth Rebellion

"The technocracy’s strength lies in its capacity to convince us that its style of life is the only reasonable, indeed the only possible path of progress... The young, who are now rebelling, are reacting against this total integration of the individual into the industrial apparatus. They are seeking a lifestyle that restores spontaneous feeling and communal solidarity against the plastic, sterilized consensus of their parents' generation."
—Theodore Roszak, historian, *The Making of a Counter Culture*, 1969

The ideas expressed in the excerpt most clearly reflect which of the following developments of the 1960s?

  1. The rejection of the post-World War II consumer economy and social consensus by middle-class youth.Answer
  2. B
    The political mobilization of a 'silent majority' seeking to restore traditional values and social order.
  3. C
    The successful federal expansion of social welfare programs under the Great Society.
  4. D
    The adoption of strict isolationist foreign policies to prevent future international military involvement.

Answer

The rejection of the post-World War II consumer economy and social consensus by middle-class youth.
The excerpt describes the rebelling youth's reaction against the total integration of the individual into the industrial apparatus and their search for a lifestyle that restores spontaneous feeling and communal solidarity against their parents' generation's consensus. This directly represents the rejection of post-World War II middle-class conformity and consumerism by young people.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text to identify the main argument and subject matter.
The author describes a youth rebellion against the 'industrial apparatus' and the 'sterilized consensus' of their parents.
Understanding the core argument is necessary to link the stimulus to the correct historical development.
2
Place the ideas in the context of the late 1960s counterculture.
The counterculture rejected the conformity, technocracy, and consumerism that characterized post-World War II American society.
This context allows for identifying the option that matches the counterculture's core characteristics.
3
Evaluate the options to identify which development matches this rejection.
The rejection of the post-World War II consumer economy and social consensus by middle-class youth is the correct match.
This step eliminates incorrect interpretations and confirms the correct response.

Key Concept

The youth counterculture of the 1960s and its rejection of post-World War II middle-class social consensus and materialism.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Counterculture and Youth Rebellion

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