Jais Elalouf - Psychedelics and Protest Movements in Society in the 1960s

The psychedelic counterculture of the 1960s emerged within a spiritual and political crisis in postwar Western industrial society. LSD acted as a catalyst for rejecting materialism, fostering feelings of freedom and connection, and building alternative ways of living. However, this period also saw intensive covert operations by agencies like the CIA, which aimed to disorient, control, and neutralize collective action. Key figures and organizations like The Diggers, Provo, or the Students for a Democratic Society, initially provided hope for progress, yet these were later targeted or infiltrated through undercover agents and mass dose programs to dampen political movements and induce apathy through excessive consumption.