In which country did the hippie subculture originate as a movement?

The origin of the hippie subculture as a youth movement has its roots in the Untied States in the early 1960s. From the U.S., it spread globally. A subculture is traditionally defined as a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, but often maintaining some of the founding principles. Subcultures also develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political and sexual matters, which readily happened with the U.S. hippie subculture.

Many movements and emergent subcultures can trace their origin to other preceding subcultures and movements. In this context, the hippie subculture that started in the U.S. found its roots in both the Bohemians and the influence of Eastern religion and spirituality. Some examples include a shared and fundamental connection and ethos promoting harmony with nature, communal living, artistic experimentation particularly in music and the widespread recreational use of drugs. There are other additional sources and influences contributing to the hippie subculture in the U.S. such as the Beat Generation which was a literary movement started by a group of authors.

Other characteristics historically associated with the hippie subculture that started in the U.S. involved anti-establishment political and social viewpoints, which often were expressed through sexual promiscuity, voluntary poverty or simple living arrangements plus organized protests against normative behavior.