Why did the “world of the 1960s” disappear? About the reasons for the decline of the youth protest movement in late 60s of the XX century in the countries of Western Europe and the USA

Abstract

The article is about the reasons of the decline of the Western European and USA youth protest movement in late 60s of the 20th century. According to the authors, the main reasons for the decline of the Movement are: the spontaneity of the protests, the absents of the joint coordination of actions, mistrust political institutions, the narrowness and limitations of ideas and slogans). The change of attitude towards the youth by the government circles and public of the Western countries in the early 1970s played an important role in the minimization of protest activity. As the result of it was the development of a fundamentally new youth policy based on the “whip and gingerbread” method: on the one hand, there was a strengthening of the repressions against riots participants, and on the other hand, the involvement of youths representative into political, state, business and public institutions with the aim of integration began protest activists in public life. Finally, the new trends in the social and political development of the Western countries in early 1970s become the significant factor in the decline of the protest movement. Such trends included changes in economic, political and cultural interactions in countries of Western Europe and USA, in particular the deterioration of the economic situation, as well as the extension of the social elite at the expense of students and graduates of technical and economic faculties. Finally, the new trends in the social and political development of the Western countries in early 1970s becаme the significant factor in the decline of the protest movement, in particular the deterioration of the economic situation, as well as the expansion of the social elite at the expense of students and graduates of technical and economic faculties. This contributed to the further erosion of the social base of the protests and the focus of youth on their careers.