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Social unrest in a democracy is a very rare event.
The social unrest of the Sixties occurred in democracies. Maybe you're thinking of revolutions to oust an oppressive dictator/regime.
In the US the people were not demanding democracy, but using their democratic right to demand many changes.
In France (a democracy) the massive protests brought down the government headed by de Gaulle. In Germany (another democracy) there were also many protests and demonstrations.
There is a social upheaval going on. Its called the gay rights movement. If you combine that with the massive spread of atheism among those under 30 today, I think you have something pretty big.
I see this as more of a social evolution, not an upheaval. First off, the gay rights movement isn't all that big in number of impacted folks (as a % of population) and atheism is something that is somewhat transitional. Many folks go through multiple stages of belief in life, changing as they age (some don't) and this is more personal than an upheaval.
When peoples personal living conditions are effected negatively in a major way, then we will see some sort of social unrest.
If the dollar collapses, we could get social unrest. I also think the immigration situation may lead to unrest somewhere, not necessarily across the USA.
If I had to pick a place most ripe for social unrest, I'd pick Florida. I don't know why exactly, except that it seems like there are a lot of angry people down there and a lot of them have weapons.
It won't happen until/unless a critical mass of people think they have nothing left to lose. Right now, that's not the case.
Social unrest happens quite a bit in democracies. Just look at European democracies, and the huge protests that occur regularly. A hallmark of democracy is that there is social unrest, and that citizens are free to express it.
actually, the roaring twenties was called "roaring" because of the various turbulent instances occurring, not because of the reaction to social issues (like in the sixties). Actually, the 1920s are sort of like today in reference to the apathetic and indifferent reaction of society. All I have to say is look what happened to them on October 29, 1929...
I think the roaring 20s were a lot more like the 90s than today. The speculative Internet bubble was very similar to the stock market bubble of the 20s.
I think that this administration has cleverly avoided mass rallies and riots by out-sourcing what should be military jobs to Blackwater and other contractors. If there had been a draft (technically, there should have been) the public would have had a fit. So instead, the government racks up an almost inconceivable deficit, but no draft, so Americans sit and chew their fat-butted cud.
The roaring 20s was a time of great economic advancement for many American's. Credit was easy, stocks were incresaing in value, young folks were changing the antiquated value system of the victorian era and government was tied up with rooting out communists creating a Red Scare atmosphere. Following the crash in '29 nearly 25% of America was without work and things did not improve until December 7, 1941 when the nation went back to work making guns and tanks. If ever there was a time for massive social upheavel it would have been in the 1930s, but as other post have said things kind of re-balanced themselves. The natural ebb and flow of life. Change is needed, but a revolution? Remember, folks, our revolution could have ended up like the French revolution - not a prett sight. And remember, the system our founders gave us is the best in the world - its who we elect that sometimes makes life miserable or pleasant.
9/11 was tragic and horrible however it did not cause a degradation in the standard of living for the average man/woman. When peoples personal living conditions are effected negatively in a major way, then we will see some sort of social unrest.
I think it depends on where you live.
In NY this happened in the midst of the tech bubble bust and the Wordcom scandals
So you had a massive loss in the jobs in:
The financial sector, the tech sector and tourism all at once. And all of these factors fed off of each other and contributed to each others demise.
Other than the real estate bubble, I don't think NY has really gained the momentum it had. The employment market has not returned to it's prior robustness. While the percentages of unemployment are down, many people just never went back to work in their prior fields, and when they did, they got lower paying jobs. (I know many people in that boat.)
It was definitely a regional phenomenon though.
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