1968: The Global Revolutions

Sparked by police violence against black community members, a series of urban uprisings during the 1960s were connected to larger economic conditions and inspired by the civil rights movement. As American cities suffered from disinvestment, racist urban renewal policies, and white flight, residents responded with rage to a series of provocations by police officers. Both in Detroit and the Watts area of Los Angeles, days of rioting led to martial law, mass property destruction, and dozens of deaths.