Abstract: This article reviews postmodernism as a transitional stage in the dynamics of modern culture in the countries of Euro-Atlantic civilization. Such transitional stages the author defines as sociocultural transformations. Postmodernism is the finale of the current stage of sociocultural transformation, which according to the author started in the last third XIX century with the avant-garde culture. The article traces the impact of counterculture of the 1960s – early 1970s upon establishment of the postmodern paradigm. It is demonstrated that counterculture manifested as the sociocultural background that promoted the consolidation of postmodernism in culture of the countries of Euro-Atlantic civilization. The logic of studying sociocultural transformations suggests the application of interdisciplinary approach. The key research method is the philosophical interpretation. The main conclusion consists in proving the hypothesis on the background, sociocultural impact of counterculture of the 1960s – early 1970s upon the consolidation of postmodernism as the sociocultural transformation. The author offers an original approach towards periodization of the European (Euro-Atlantic) culture, which distinguishes the corresponding periods in its continuum through the prism of sociocultural transformations. A detailed analysis of the impact of counterculture upon postmodern statement is provided.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the conditions, under which in the transitional periods that are defined by the author as “sociocultural transformation”, is carried out the selection of cultural-dominant characteristics forming the essence of the next gradual stage in the dynamics of culture. These conditions are determined based on the analysis of the dynamics of culture of the European (Euro-Atlantic) civilization. The author considered such transitional periods as Late Hellenism, Renaissance and Reformation, avant-garde and postmodernism, which represent the sociocultural transformation between Antiquity, Middle Ages and Modern Age respectively. The method of philosophical interpretation of the cultural phenomena of European (Euro-Atlantic) civilization became the key method for this research. The main conclusion of this work consists in description of  such semantic vectors of sociocultural transformation as relativization of meanings, paralyzation of meanings, principle of doubt and uncertainty, and separation with the preceding cultural tradition. These semantic vectors orient towards upward tendency of cultural development.