<P> Bill Osgerby argues that: </P> <P> the counterculture's various strands developed from earlier artistic and political movements . On both sides of the Atlantic the 1950s "Beat Generation" had fused existentialist philosophy with jazz, poetry, literature, Eastern mysticism and drugs--themes that were all sustained in the 1960s counterculture . </P> <P> In the United States, the counterculture of the 1960s became identified with the rejection of conventional social norms of the 1950s . Counterculture youth rejected the cultural standards of their parents, especially with respect to racial segregation and initial widespread support for the Vietnam War, and, less directly, the Cold War--with many young people fearing that America's nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union, coupled with its involvement in Vietnam, would lead to a nuclear holocaust . </P> <P> In the United States, widespread tensions developed in the 1960s in American society that tended to flow along generational lines regarding the war in Vietnam, race relations, sexual mores, women's rights, traditional modes of authority, and a materialist interpretation of the American Dream . White, middle class youth--who made up the bulk of the counterculture in western countries--had sufficient leisure time, thanks to widespread economic prosperity, to turn their attention to social issues . These social issues included support for civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights movements, and a rejection of the Vietnam War . The counterculture also had access to a media which was eager to present their concerns to a wider public . Demonstrations for social justice created far - reaching changes affecting many aspects of society . Hippies became the largest countercultural group in the United States . </P>

What were the main beliefs and goals of the counter culture movement