
While every age is said to have had its own impact on society, the 1960s are immortalized in the memories of many, even though they were not yet alive then. A decade filled with love-loving hippies, The Beatles are conquering the hearts of Americans from across the Atlantic and the roaring popularity of the civil rights movement. With activism on the rise and the atmosphere of hope and change in the air, it is easy to disregard the negative parts of the 60s, which were all too real. The Vietnam War, the inner-city riots, and assassinations played an important role in shaping the decade and becoming a turning point in American politics and society. In 1968, the US entered the Sixth Party System, with the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. 1968 becoming a turning point in American politics and society.
Background
American Politics Pre-1960s
Over the years of existence in the modern United States, there have been numerous iterations of the party systems and political structures in the attempts to address the differences between Democrats and Conservatives. The previous party system, the Fifth, was established in 1932 under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Under such a structure, the opposing factions, New Deal Coalition and Conservative Coalition consisted of the members of each of the original parties, namely Democrats and Conservatives. However, the intra-party ideological groups did not prevail for long, and after the events of the 1960s, including the Civil Rights movement and Cold War, the decade gave birth to the Sixth Party System. As a result, Republicans and conservative ideals became more prominent in the US political scene, gaining dominance over the Democrats for decades to come.
Key Events of the 1960s
As mentioned, the 60s are famous for their tremendous effect on the events of the time and the decades to come. The key events leading up to the 1968 political changes in the party system included both national and international affairs. The decade was packed with the Cold War and the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the landing on the moon. While these events might seem disconnected from each other, together, they brought together the societal and political change that allowed the decrease in government intervention in the economy and laissez-faire capitalism. Furthermore, the rise of Christianity in the US facilitates the mass appeal of conservative ideals. Americans were no longer content with compromising their ideals, combining the opposing views, which led to the separation of conservatism from the democratic ideology and the creation of two distinct parties.
The events of the 1960s showed American society the need for the limitation of governmental power in the decisions that are made on behalf of the citizens. Millions protested military action and the complacency of the American people, such as can be seen in the Port Huron Statement by the Students for a Democratic Society, 1962 (“The American Yawp Reader,” 2022). This bold statement proposed by young activists emphasizes the need for action to be taken to rescue American society from destruction by excessive militarism and cultural alienation.
Not only were the activist movements of the times loud and obnoxious, but they were often heard by authorities and even referred to, such as in Lyndon Johnson’s speech on Voting Rights in 1965 (“The American Yawp Reader,” 2022). Using the language of the activists and the promises that were made to Americans in the past years, he gave authority and validity to the societal changes. At the same time, Americans were fighting for the preservation of their identity and individual freedoms. There is no surprise that, as a result, government intervention in the economy decreased, and the general popular ideology returned to the traditional values, especially after the liberal years that preceded it.
Aftermath
Who Triumphed?
As a result of the political changes, as mentioned above, the Republican party came out on top. Unlike in the previous decades, the parties were no longer mixed in their composition, and instead, the majority of the power lay solely in the hands of the conservatives. While the Democrat party retained its power over some states, the majority of the population became or remained affiliated with the Republicans. This new era first became known as the Raegan era and had since then endured a number of events and occasions.

As mentioned above, the parties separated once again, with the conservatives and the democrats gaining their own seats at the table. While originally, the changes led to the spike in the popularity of conservatives, over the past few years, the Democrats have begun to regain their popularity. The differences in the ideologies remain as high as ever, and the extreme nature of the opposition between the two parties does not allow for effective cooperation between them. Nevertheless, it might be the case that the new party system will be established soon, whatever it might be. All that is clear is that history shows that the changes in society drive political and structural changes and vice versa.