By the late 1960s, the first teenage generation emerged free from the draft, forgetful of the wartime austerity of their youth and (in Germany) debating the actions of their parents emerged throughout Europe. Simply, the young generation possessed the money due to economic prosperity, the time, and, thanks to parents who spent their youth serving in the war, free and encouraged to do as they wanted. Furthermore, feminism began to take hold as women entered into the workplace, moved away from home, began taking a newly legalized contraceptive pill, began demanding equal pay, became more involved in politics. Simply, many wanted more for their life than being a wife and mother and youths in general wanted a more in life than they viewed their parents as having.

Throughout the world, the youths were part of the large post-war baby boom generation. More so than previous generations, they watched similar television programs, shopping experiences and educational experiences. They witnessed the global events together and, indirectly, encouraged each other to act. Throughout the world, the young protested American actions in Vietnam. In Mexico and Pakistan, the young protested the repressive regimes in power. In Eastern Europe, the young demanded greater rights from the entrenched elder generation of communist bureaucrats. The resulting Prague Spring of 1968 saw a reformist leader (Alexander Dubček) elected to power, who then gave people more individual and economic rights. However, the Soviets then invaded the country and crushed the protests. The resulting Brezhnev Doctrine called upon the Soviet state in intervene when local rule was under attack.

Figure 12: Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia

In France, students protested a variety of issues–capitalism and consumerism, issues surrounding American imperialism (and actions in Vietnam) and ideas associated traditional institutions. The protests spread to factories with strikes involving 11 million workers, more than 22% of the total population of France at the time, but the students and workers struggled to stay united. However, in these European theaters of protest, the youths did not have a clear and shared agenda, largely failed to capture the larger public imagination and win their support and struggled to maintain an alliance with the workers, who possessed a set of more concrete, everyday goals (such as wage increased). Still, the youths made their voices heard, caused many to debate the need for change and achieved some minor successes (such as the structure to universities).

Figure 13: Demonstrations of May 1968 in Bordeaux

Conclusion

The postwar era witnessed a sense of stability, a return of optimism and feelings of hope that the end of World War One failed to foster. Despite the immense struggle for survival in the immediate aftermath of the war and the rebuilding needed, the European economy prospered in a manner that benefited nearly everyone unlike at any moment in the last 200 years. Still, European countries witnessed a loss of their overseas empires, immigrants were largely excluded from this economic growth and European youth battled in vain for change. For most people throughout Europe, the idea of stable employment, access to state services and consumer products and the promise of peace created a sense progress and belief that life would continue to improve.