[Book Sip] The Decade of Advance, the 1960s

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book in themselves, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. Here, we excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from the book. - Editor's note

Starting with the April 19 Revolution, which heralded new possibilities for the Republic of Korea, this book brings up 17 themes that span the 1960s. It stages major stories representing the 1960s, including the struggles and liberation of colonies that overcame the oppression of the old regime, postwar Japan’s recovery and the youth generation’s struggles, Mao Zedong’s resurgence and the Cultural Revolution, the United States’ reaction to Che Guevara’s Cuban Revolution and the rise of the charismatic Kennedy, Khrushchev’s reforms that opened the way for Soviet reform, the fierce resistance of the Vietnamese people that haunted the United States, changes in awareness and struggles against racial and gender discrimination, the winds of freedom that blew worldwide starting with France’s May 1968 Revolution, the Beatles’ artistry that opened the door to new popular culture, the hippies who called for ultimate liberation, the explosive youth energy at Woodstock, and humanity’s historic moon landing. It introduces the 1960s as a turning point in the era and a benchmark defining the modern world.

It is unwise to expect too many lessons from history. It is dangerous and foolish to arbitrarily interpret records of events’ outcomes without considering the circumstances, conditions, and causal relationships. Citizens and leaders who ignore history are dangerous, but those who only look at history books are also undesirable for the same reason.

- p.7

Che Guevara gained immortal honor because he was not obsessed with power. Fighting in a ‘foreign country’ with only a few dozen guerrillas rather than a powerful army was because he chose the life of a ‘warrior of humanity’ who confronted imperialistic nature and the injustice and corruption caused by its greed.

Although he briefly held a position of power after the revolution’s success, he willingly plunged into another revolutionary land, Bolivia, under the worst conditions and ultimately lost his life. Che Guevara’s life was the very image of an eternal free spirit, which is why people still admire him today. The 1960s were diverse because, while there were incarnations of power like Mao Zedong, there were also free revolutionaries like Che Guevara.

- p.105

Although the 1968 Revolution failed, it resonated worldwide in various ways like a butterfly effect. In short, the 1968 Revolution was an anti-authoritarian value revolution and a cultural revolution that triggered changes even in daily life, fundamentally transforming society as a whole. This was clearly expressed in the slogan, “Je suis r?volt?, donc je suis” (“I revolt, therefore I am”). The 1968 Revolution will be remembered for a long time as a ‘history of resistance and revolution born of imagination.’ Although it was a storm that occurred in a short period, it symbolized all the problems of the 1960s.

“Il est Interdit D'interdire (It is forbidden to forbid).”

“Cela Nous Concerne Tous (This concerns us all).”

Will we ever see such a sexy revolutionary slogan again?

The Decade of Advance, the 1960s | Written by Kim Kyungjip | Dongasia | 664 pages | 32,000 KRW