answersLogoWhite

0

It's difficult to tie the start of a cultural phenomenon to a single person. Much of the hippie movement was an outgrowth of the "Beat generation," of the 1950s and early 60s, with added rebellion related to protests against the Vietnam War and the military draft.

The US government is partly responsible for starting the hippie movement because they tested the use of LSD in California, spurring at least one of its participants to continue experimenting with the drug. Author Ken Kesey one of the participants who wrote reports on his experience for the government, later wrote a popular book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in which the protagonist, McMurphy, dodged the draft by feigning mental illness then rebelled against the hospital's establishment.

Income from this book allowed Kesey and one of his friends, Neal Cassady, formed a group of rebels in San Francisco that called themselves the Merry Pranksters. Kesey, Cassady and people like Timothy Leary influenced other young writers of the era, who, in turn, influenced young people. Contrary to popular belief, the hippie movement had nothing to do with communism or the Communist Party.

You can learn more about the beginning of the era in Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions