THE ORIGIN OF THE COUNTERCULTURE MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES Zhao Mei (68) A protest movement with young people as its main body was initiated in American society in the 1960s. Affecting social, political and cultural spheres of the time, its impacts are still felt up to the present. Referring to this movement a s the “countercultural movement,” the author makes an investigation of its o rigin and concludes that the turbulence was caused by the impending readjustment of social structure during the transition from industrial to postindustrial soc iety in the 1960s, in addition to the racial discrimination and the Vietnam Wa r. The resistance of the youth resulted from the contradictions and conflicts in the transitional period and was aggravated by the Cold War and the social turbu lence.