Why is the historical period in which these theories emerged important?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

During the social upheaval of the 1960s, the works of Marx and other conflict theorists gained new adherents. This time period was characterized by numerous chaotic events. In the 1960s, the paranoia of McCarthyism had begun to subside, and the stigma attached to Marxism was reduced. This was an era in which a number of social norms were challenged by the civil rights and women’s movements. The countercultural movement and the hippies also waged an attack on social norms of the time. Even the music of the period, rock ’n’ roll, could be viewed as a challenge to dominant social (and sometimes political) norms. The disillusion associated with the Vietnam War led to the growth of a counterculture that rejected traditional views of society and existing social norms. The assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and several other important U.S. political figures caused increasing chaos, and protests and social activism demonstrated a loss of faith in the government. In some ways, this period was an extremely dark time in American history. However, it was also a time of great social progress as fundamental assumptions about the roles of social organization and social conflict began to be reappraised.