Revolución, sexo y rocanrol. A cincuenta años del ’68 montevideano

Abstract

In the second half of the fifties, Uruguay was heading towards
a major economic and social crisis. The relative prosperity and stability that
Uruguayans had thrived on in the first half of the century was vanishing. It is
within that context, in 1968 more specifically, that the massive youth protest which will be our main focus here occurred. The term Commitment became
the watchword for many of these youngsters, and The Revolution part and
parcel to their life choices. What signs did they see or believe to see in the
world around them that could have led them to these convictions? In my
search for an answer, I have interviewed 45 former militants of those
days. Their rebellion was not aimed at their parents, victims like themselves of the "oppressing bourgeoisie"; these youngsters felt they were immersed in
a planetary movement towards a fairer, more equitable world, and that risking
their lives to make that dream possible was well worth it. In this first advance
on our research, we shall focus on the local and worldwide contexts which
were – or seemed to be – at the root of the revolutionary convictions of the
youth. Still pending is an exploration of the ways in which the afore-
mentioned contexts and convictions interrelate with the life stories of these
youngsters.