In the West, the term `cultural revolution' is used to mean the events and changes in attitudes that occurred in the USA and Western Europe during the `long sixties' (c.1958-c.1974) (Block 6, pg39). This `cultural revolution' was a reaction against mainstream culture, typified by rigid social structure and values, acceptance of authority and subordination of women and children (Block 6, pg24). `Counter-culture' is the term applied to the groups of people challenging the mainstream, though it should be noted that there wasn't one coherent `counter-culture', but several disparate groups challenging the mainstream for their own particular ends (Block 6, pg26).

Arthur Marwick has argued that the Sixties were "a period of exceptional cultural and social change" (Block 6, pg23). But to ascertain whether `cultural revolution' is an appropriate term to describe these changes, careful study of primary and secondary sources is required. In History, the baby boomer generation was coming of...