The Sixties ended 40 years ago in October 1973. Puzzled by that assertion? Let me put a question to you – when does a decade truly start and finish? You may think this a senseless question, but bear with me. I’m referring to the character, or spirit of a decade. A common approach to 20th century history is to examine it decade by decade, particularly from the 1920s onwards – as if each decade had its own character, shaped by the people, events, and culture which dominated it. When I reflect on the Twenties, for example, I immediately think of the Charleston and hedonistic ‘flappers’, and also the General Strike of 1926. The Sixties conjure up powerful images of The Beatles, Swinging London, James Bond, Mary Quant’s fashions and the heyday of Carnaby Street. But as Francis Wheen remarks, ‘ Don’t believe the calendar: decades have no fixed duration. What many of us think of as “the Sixties”…started in Britain three years behind schedule, sometime, as Philip Larkin observed, between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP’. 1
Helmets Are In, Road Safety poster, 1960s - INF 13/290 (4)
Supercharged optimism
One of the most remarkable and attractive features of Sixties culture was the incredible, seemingly unstoppable optimism of much pop music, beginning with the Beatles’ breakthrough in ‘63, and it was an optimism that carried on into the early Seventies, despite Vietnam, the violent deaths of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in 1968, and the outbreak of ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland. Pop culture did reflect changing times, with darker tones creeping in, reflected in tracks such as ‘Sympathy for the devil’ and ‘Gimme Shelter’ by the Rolling Stones, but the dominant mood music of the times was best summed up by tracks such as ‘The Age of Aquarius’ from the musical ‘Hair’ and ‘Up up and away’ by The 5th Dimension. This supercharged optimism was boosted by the historical achievements such as the rolling-out of Concorde (first test flight March 1969; first non-stop transatlantic flight September 1973) and the first moon landing (July 1969). These events gave rise to a feeling that everything was possible.
‘Even the bad times are good’
Despite some bleak indicators in the early Seventies – I would single out the Dawson’s Field hijackings of September 1970, the escalation of ‘the troubles’, power blackouts in late 1970 and early 1972 and increasing worry about inflation and unemployment – the optimism continued in British pop culture – though the underlying attitude would be best described as a wilful determination to have a good time, despite the darkening backdrop. Though the break up of the Beatles caused an hiatus, British pop music regained a sense of swagger, reflected in the exciting, spiky rock and roll riffs of T. Rex, the musical and theatrical genius of David Bowie, the celebratory anthems of Slade and the glitz and showmanship of ‘glam rock’ in general. To coin a song title from The Tremeloes, it was a case of ‘even the bad times are good’. Increasingly, there was an element of escapism to all this, though the glam bubble was close to bursting by the autumn of 1973.
On the domestic political front in 1973, Edward Heath’s government continued to ‘dash for growth’, determined that Britain should gain full benefit from its newly acquired membership of the EEC, whilst unfolding new stages of its prices and incomes policy, ‘the programme to control inflation’.
Oilshock
But then – on 6 October 1973, Syria and Egypt launched an attack on Israel, sparking the ‘Yom Kippur War’. Furious at US support for Israel, OPEC, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (mainly consisting of the Arab nations) imposed an embargo on the US and restricted oil supplies to most other western countries. On 16 October, the Gulf States announced a 66 per cent increase in the price of crude oil – by January 1974 world oil prices had quadrupled. The Saudi oil minister proclaimed ‘we are masters of our own destiny’. The West plunged into recession as a result of the price hikes.
Edward Heath’s strategy unravels
The ‘oil shock’ was disastrous for Edward Heath’s government. Chancellor Anthony Barber was quick to realise that the landscape had changed overnight. As Heath’s biographer John Campbell explains ‘Britain was particularly hard hit, partly because it depended on imported oil for 50 percent of its energy needs, the proportion having been deliberately increased over recent years as the coal industry was run down…but more specifically because British inflation was already very high and the Government had staked its authority on a prices and incomes policy designed to bring it down’. 2 The oil crisis boosted the bargaining power of the National Union of Mineworkers, who decided to implement a ban on overtime in support of a huge pay claim. A state of emergency and petrol shortages followed. By 12 December, the situation had deteriorated sharply. The government implemented power restrictions, and began planning for a three day week. Anthony Barber ‘slammed the brakes’ on public expenditure – he proposed major reductions which were approved by Cabinet.
Anthony Barber proposes major reductions in public expenditure - CAB 129/173
The shockwaves reverberated throughout the western world in October 1973. It really was a profound, deep sense of shock – the impotence of the West in the face of this power shift to the oil producing Arab nations was exposed. Dominic Sandbrook described it as ‘the moment when globalisation made itself felt, when the western industrial powers realised that they could not have everything their own way, and when millions of ordinary families felt the shuddering impact of distant events hundreds and thousands of miles away’. 3
The oil crisis didn’t just affect essentials such as heat, light and petrol. Most plastics and synthetic fibres were derived from oil, so these materials became more expensive, which pushed up the prices of household goods, so inflation accelerated. The crisis also had a direct effect on the music industry – because vinyl was a product of oil. The price of albums sharply increased at this time, and in some cases, records became thinner. Even this form of escapist entertainment was affected – there was a powerful symbolism associated with this.
The oil crisis confronted Britain with difficult new realities. The party was well and truly over in October 1973, and any residual optimism from the Sixties was crushed – hence my dateline for that golden decade, which in spirit, started and finished late: 1963-1973.
I prefer to think of the Sixties ending when the Beatles finally split. And surely the Seventies have definitively begun by the time Isaac Hayes releases The Theme From Shaft in 1971?
‘The Theme from Shaft’ is absolutely superb, you have excellent taste! The end of the spirit of the Sixties is obviously debatable – guess my main point is that the incredible optimism didn’t just evaporate at the end of 1969, it did carry on for a time, as did the ‘hippy’ ethos. Anyway, thanks for your comment, you make a good point
An important point too was England’s elimination from the World Cup by Poland, which was on October 17th 1973. It added to the sense of crisis.
The portuguese war in Africa began. 1973 was a moment where this war was about to take a turn. 1974 it did take a turn. The war ended.
Throughout this period we, born 1950 and on, looked at the world, through London. Carneby Street, the Beatles, all the pop rock music, out of bounds for all my generation.
Salazar, with the assentment of all the democratic nations of europe an america, kept my country and to be countries in total black out. But, we all resisted and heard and spoke about and smoked and drank, whilst shooting in africa, all english music and life style. The psycadelic, the long hair….
Thanks world. I agree. The decade did end in 1974, that is, to us in portugal. A new life maner began that 25th April.
Why dicuss this as it doesn’t even matter!
You could argue that the 1960s as we know it started with the Profumo Affair and along with the endless Balance of Payments fears every time the monthly figures were released and JFK’s assassination in 1963. Whilst the oil shock of 1973 hit the UK hard the fact is that the West took oil producing countries for granted for years. Whilst Heath may have struggled with the economy there was the ‘Secondary Bank Crisis’ in 1973 arising from the freeing up of credit by the Bank of England leading to a major rescue support operation by the Clearing Banks, although the bottom line was that the Government might have to bail out the crisis (does this sound familiar!) and that the Bank of England might even go bust.
Thanks I appreciate the comments, which I’ve caught up with. To pick out a couple – Michael, thought your point about the England/Poland game was spot on – and though it’s painful to reflect on – in the words of Dominic Sandbrook, who has such a good way of summing up matters in a pithy manner, ‘ there were few more compelling symbols of national decline than England’s failure against Poland’ (from ‘State of Emergency’). That was then…but I’m keeping hopeful for this evening’s match!
David – you make some good points – you’re right, the credit boom was an important factor regarding the economic crisis .
An excellent and thought provoking piece Mark. However, picking up on your themes of politics, football and pop, I contend that the Sixties span the years 1962 to 1972.
Politically, as you point out, themes associated with the Seventies became well established in 1972. It was a year that saw industrial unrest in the UK, the rise of international terrorism, a thaw in the Cold War and the end of the Apollo space adventure.
On the football field England was outplayed by West Germany in the European Championship match at Wembley on April 29th 1972. The English team’s technical deficiencies were brutally exposed by a rampant German team that deservedly ran out 3-1 victors. As an indicator of England’s relative decline since 1966 this game was far more significant than the hapless performance against Poland the following year.
I agree that the most remarkable and attractive feature of Sixties culture is its optimism. This is personified in the disc jockey Alan Freeman whose weekly ‘Pick of the Pops’ shows provided a thrilling roller coaster ride up and down the pop charts. Freeman’s final chart rundown was broadcast on 24th September 1972, almost ten years to the day after The Beatles released their first single. His replacement, Tom Browne, was a presenter for whom the epithet ‘dour’ would seem inappropriate, suggesting too lively and excitable a temperament.
Hi, I think the 1960s ended on 31st December 1969 at midnight.
Oh no!!! You mean to tell me the 60’s are over? I’ve been living it all these years and I insist it isn’t going to end. It’s always been so magical!
Catching up with more of your comments – Mark, your arguments are very persuasive. I may have to concede the strength of your case! Your observations show that it is worth reflecting on the question of an era starts and finishes, and not paying too much attention to the calendar, as Francis Wheen states (in a flippant but knowing way) – it makes us think deeply about what aspects of popular culture were important in keeping the spirit of the times alive, as well as the impact of the serious, external forces.
Thea, I see you’re going for the strict calendar interpretation – fair enough – your approach has the virtue of being clear-cut! John – sorry if this news has come as a shock!
I was a 60’s kid and for me growing up in that decade was a time of fun and innocence. There has and never will be a decade like the fab sixties, which in my opinion was the time when Britain came alive. Like most young girls in that era I left school with qualifications in Pitman’s Shorthand and Typing enabling me to find work in an office, and as it was a decade of music, dance crazes and fab fashions I had the money to be hip and buy tickets for the fantastic Rolling Stones concerts.
Us 60’s kids had the freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it, and I will also add that in those days finding work was so much easier than it is today.
I wouldn’t have changed my teenage years for anything it was the epitome for young people get ahead with their chosen careers without todays technology. Many of our young people study hard to get the qualifications to enter university of obtaining their degrees with the hope of job when they come out. Given the fact of the high unemployment figures in our country and our pathetic governments cut backs, I wonder and hope will there be any jobs for those students.
I say lets bring in Ed and his labour government and policies which will have Britain working again.
Yes. I agree. The period that we often think of as the swinging sixties did seem to last until 1973.
I judge it by when a certain schoolteacher decided it was no longer appropriate to wear a mini-skirt in a classroom that included pubescent boys. It really was circa 1973 when that incentive to get up and go to school every day finally came to an end…
The Sixties marked the beginning of the ‘lost generations’: six million-plus potential workers – through abortion. Though legalized forty-six years ago on demand in cases where supposedly the mother’s health is at risk, it has become a convenience available on demand for disposing of unwanted foetii. Not only with very little thought for the long-term psychological and physiological consequences, especially for vulnerable women and girls but also we have lost the potential generation who would have become the NI contributors and taxpayers of their time. Hence on average those of us alive now are having to pay an extra £20.00 per month to make up the shortfall owed by that lost generation.
What goes around, comes around: the previous generation(s) that tacitly allowed, if not actively supported, legalized termination of their foetii may well find their own lives terminated by the succeeding, generations. We owe it to the Sixties, that decade of supposed ‘free love’ and ‘anything goes’ in that we are now reaping what we are sowed.
The optimum, spirit and visions of the 60s would have ended around late 1973. However, it’s death started from introduction of decimalisation in February 1971. The early part of that year, 1973, were still characterised by the Vietnam war, urban planning utopia, things being cheap, and an optimism of ‘we have never had it so good’. For the UK, we still had the residue of our old money as the changeover ended, for the USA, things as simple as the road markings changing over to the current yellow system marked that things were changing.
By the end of the summer, 1973, ahead of the Yom Kippur war, the dream of the 60s was starting to wane. The concrete utopia was, as it was being completed, showing the first signs of decay. The oil shock, end of decimal changeover, and hyper-inflation killed off the sixties, and entered us all into the challenges of the Seventies.
The end of the Sixties was closer to the end of the decade, the summer of 1970. Internationally, the world was changing: Chile went to Allende; after Cambodia Nixon tried opening China; after Cambodia the domestic anti-war movement was deflated, helped by the draft lottery. Many college and university seniors would not be drafted after graduation. Music began to change with deaths.
fabulous set of comments
i lived in Soho London through my teenage years and the sixties, it makes me cry today to think that post sixties generation can never ever experience the hope, optimism and fun of those years
we were sooo lucky
Somebody (sorry I can’t remember where I read this) suggested that the end of the 60’s was not just the Arab oil embargo, but the fact that consumers in the Western world reacted by waiting in long lines and paying the higher prices. This failure of consumers to curtail their gasoline consumption and do more car-pooling (or used public transit) as traditional economic thinking would have predicted, sent a message to businessmen that they could raise prices more often than previously thought . . . . so they did. And we’ve been paying runaway prices ever since.
Really I think that the 60’s died August 9, 1974 when Nixon resigned
I was born in 1968 and have been passionate about the 1960s culture and music all my life.
For many, the 1960s ended in Altamont on December 6, 1969.
This was preceded by the murders of the Manson Family and then all these bad things came together that broke the barrel.
Then there was the ever-worsening Vietnam War and in retrospect I think that the 60s were so intense in all areas and that the people enjoyed it until the end, so that in the end only exhaustion remained and it could not go on in the long run .
Then came the end of the Vietnam War (1973) for the Americans and the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s and a new generation grew up and chronologically the 1960s ended in 1969, but much was carried over into the 1970s and is an exact definition therefore not possible in my eyes.
I read this because I was a teenager in the ‘sixties.
I agree, btw: ’63-’73 and I think we lived through peak humanity.
Why did you read it, if it doesn’t matter to you?
The same night as England were put out of the World Cup, October 17th, the Rolling Stones played arguably their greatest gig (‘Brussels Affair’) at Forest National in Brussels. So maybe that’s the day!?