The Cultural Revolution Sexual intercourse began in 1963

The Cultural Revolution “Sexual intercourse began in 1963”

“Annus Mirabilis” by Philip Larkin Sexual intercourse began In nineteen sixty-three (which was rather late for me) Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban And the Beatles' first LP.

Up to then there'd only been A sort of bargaining, A wrangle for the ring, A shame that started at sixteen And spread to everything.

Then all at once the quarrel sank: Everyone felt the same, And every life became A brilliant breaking of the bank, A quite unlosable game.

So life was never better than In nineteen sixty-three (Though just too late for me) Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban And the Beatles' first LP.

The Cultural Revolution “Sexual intercourse began in 1963”

Family Structures • Traditional family structure in most cultures

Divorce

• Divorce rates shot up in most Western countries in the second half of the 20 th century

• Divorce rates did not rise significantly in most Catholic countries, especially in Latin American countries • Did not rise significantly in South Korea nor Japan

• More people living alone in Western cities

• More single parents

• More freedom for women

Birth Control

• Sale of contraceptives and birth control legalized in many Western countries • Abortion legalized in many Western countries

• Homosexuality decriminalized in Britain and USA • Openly gay communities in San Francisco and New York

The Cult of Youth

Rock ‘n’ Roll

• Record sales up 80% in 60 s and 70 s

U. S. Record Sales • 1955 (the year rock music appeared): $277, 000 • By 1973: $2, 000, 000

• The iconic rock star lived fast and died young

• Blue jeans became the symbol of “modern” youth across the globe in every country where they were tolerated, and some where they were not (e. g. USSR)

Women’s Fashion

• In 1965, for the first time, jeans outsold skirts in the French women’s clothing industry

• Western culture becomes “youth obsessed” • By 1990, non-Communist Europe, North America, and Japan are consuming 83% of world’s cosmetics

• The massive global upheaval of the 40 s had separated generations

• Differing attitudes towards work (unemployment vs. full employment)

Revolution China Egypt

Conquest and Occupation Germany Japan

Colonial Liberation India The Philippines

Third World Largely Unaffected by These Changes • These changes were not the case for most of the Third World, where populations were mostly rural and there was no change in birth control trends

Do Your Own Thing

Movie Themes Change

“In the film, Carmen Maura plays a man who’s had a transsexual operation and, due to an unhappy love affair with his/her father, has given up men to have a lesbian (I guess) relationship with a woman, who is played by a famous Madrid transvestite. ” –Film review in the Village Voice, Paul Berman (1987) • Hollywood movies moved away from “respectable” topics and themes

Popularization of Illegal Drugs

• The use of illegal drugs such as marijuana increased in the West

Churches Lose Sway • Church attendance declined in most Western countries • For example, in Quebec, attendance at mass dropped from 80% to 20%