  We present a reconstruction of the studies on the Foundations of Quantum
Mechanics (FQM) carried out in Italy at the turn of the 1960s. Actually, they
preceded the revival of the interest of the American physicists towards the FQM
around mid-1970s, recently reconstructed by David Kaiser in a book of 2011. An
element common to both cases is the role played by the young generation, even
though the respective motivations were quite different. In the US they reacted
to research cuts after the war in Vietnam, and were inspired by the New Age
mood. In Italy the dissatisfaction of the young generations was rooted in the
student protests of 1968 and the subsequent labour and social fights, which
challenged the role of scientists. The young generations of physicists searched
for new scientific approaches and challenged their own scientific knowledge and
role. The criticism to the FQM and the perspectives of submitting them to
experimental tests were perceived as an innovative research field and this
attitude was directly linked to the search for an innovative and radical
approach in the history of science. All these initiatives gave rise to booming
activity throughout the 1970s, contributing to influence the scientific
attitude and the teaching approach.

History and Philosophy of Physics;Quantum Physics