The most interesting thing about the political leftism of the 1960s is that nothing much ever came of it -- almost all those involved eventually lost interest and got caught up in adult careers; those who remained active in politics went with the Democrats, and eventually accommodated to the DLC's DINO vision of accepting let-the-rich-get-richer neoliberal economics, and trying to moderate its worst effects just a little bit around the edges.
Even at the time, while a lot of radicals talked about revolution, they never really had any clear revolutionary agenda -- no vision of what might replace the economic and political status quo. Their vision of radicalism seems to have been more cultural than anything else. See the New Left.
"The New Left not only have no blueprint, they don’t want a blueprint. Let’s just see what happens, they say. Well, I can tell them what will happen: first anarchy, then dictatorship. They are rich in Tom Paines, but they have no Thomas Jefferson."
—Gore Vidal
Bringing this up because nowadays we hear "revolution" talk from the RW -- and they don't have any revolutionary agenda either. Like the New Leftists, they only know what they're against. And in the long run, they are similarly doomed to irrelevance.
Even at the time, while a lot of radicals talked about revolution, they never really had any clear revolutionary agenda -- no vision of what might replace the economic and political status quo. Their vision of radicalism seems to have been more cultural than anything else. See the New Left.
"The New Left not only have no blueprint, they don’t want a blueprint. Let’s just see what happens, they say. Well, I can tell them what will happen: first anarchy, then dictatorship. They are rich in Tom Paines, but they have no Thomas Jefferson."
—Gore Vidal
Bringing this up because nowadays we hear "revolution" talk from the RW -- and they don't have any revolutionary agenda either. Like the New Leftists, they only know what they're against. And in the long run, they are similarly doomed to irrelevance.