11.4: Summary

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Page ID: 127060

Robert W. Cherny, Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, & Richard Griswold del Castillo
San Francisco State University, Saint Mary's College of California, & San Diego State University via Self Published

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The ’60s left a lasting impression on the state’s culture, politics, and economy. The decade shattered the myth that Californians were one big, happy family. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans demanded not only equal rights and political power, but also respect for their cultural traditions and historical contributions. As a consequence, the state’s residents were forced to acknowledge that they lived in a pluralistic, often contentious society, rather than a melting pot where various ethnic groups blended together by accepting white, middle-class values. At the same time, countercultural rebels and anti-war activists challenged the political and economic priorities of their parents and created an alternative values system that emphasized cooperation; creative, fulfilling work; sexual and emotional liberation; and environmental awareness.

These challenges to the status quo, however, also produced a backlash. Ronald Reagan, appealing to “forgotten” Californians, attempted to replace the liberal agenda of his Democratic predecessor, Pat Brown, with his own blend of social, fiscal, and political conservatism. Though he failed in the fiscal arena, his conservative philosophy and rhetoric not only revitalized the Republican Party, but also eventually won him the presidency. Change, however, was difficult to suppress. The ’60s gave many Californians a new appreciation of cultural diversity and a broader choice of alternate lifestyle options. In the workplace, emphasis on creativity and shared decision making increased worker productivity and innovation, particularly in the emerging Silicon Valley. In the home, many men and women renegotiated their roles and increasingly chose alternatives to the traditional nuclear family. Colleges and universities gave students more curricular choices and a greater role in governance. Most significantly, they broadened their curricular choices to include non-Western, ethnic, and women’s studies.

Finally, the ’60s led to the growth of new movements: gay and lesbian liberation, modern feminism, environmentalism, and anti-nuclear activism. What the Right regarded as an abandonment of traditional values, others viewed as a healthy skepticism of authority and a welcome expansion of cultural and political horizons. Rather than reaching a new social consensus in the coming decades, the state’s residents would continue to grapple with the sweeping changes introduced during the ’60s.