Released in 1975, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was a period of great social change in the United States. The 1960s and 1970s saw widespread protests against the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the feminist movement. This turbulent era also saw a growing awareness of mental health issues and the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals. Against this backdrop, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was a searing critique of the psychiatric establishment and the societal norms that governed it.