Title: The 1970s: A Crisis in Confidence
1The 1970s A Crisis in Confidence
- The overextended society of the 1970s was
defined by - Low economic growth, high prices, rising
unemployment - Distrust of the government due to the Watergate
scandal - Passionless presidents who failed to project
clear leadership - An end of Nixon-era détente resumption of Cold
War rivalries
2YuppieYoung Urban Professional
3Three Mile Island
4NOW and the ERA
5Ms. Magazine and Gloria Steinem
6Glass Ceiling
7Moral Majority
U.S. political action group composed of
conservative, fundamentalist Christians. Founded
(1979) and led (197987) by evangelist Rev. Jerry
Falwell, the group played a significant role in
the 1980 elections of Reagan through its strong
support of conservative candidates. It lobbied
for prayer and the teaching of creationism in
public schools, while opposing the Equal Rights
Amendment homosexual rights, abortion, and the
U.S.-Soviet SALT treaties. The Moral Majority was
dissolved in 1989.
8Affirmative Action
The necessity of Affirmative Action has been a
hot topic in American society for a number of
years. Affirmative Action was established in 1965
by President Johnson in order to redress the
discrimination that was evident in employment,
education and business despite the civil rights
laws which made such discrimination illegal. The
purpose of Affirmative Action is to provide
opportunities for minorities and women it is not
meant to create quotas.
Affirmative action is an attempt to promote equal
opportunity. It is often instituted in government
and educational settings to ensure that minority
groups within a society are included in all
programs. The justification for affirmative
action is to compensate for past discrimination,
persecution or exploitation by the ruling class
of a culture,3 or to address existing
discrimination
9The Lean YearsThe Presidencies of Ford Carter
10The Ford Administration
- Gerald Ford failed to restore public confidence
after Watergate - Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have
committed - He revealed a number of past CIA assassination
attempts appointed George Bush to reorganize
the CIA - Vetoed 39 Great Society-style bills initiated by
Congress
11The 1976 Campaign
- In 1976, dark-horse Jimmy Carter won the
Democratic nomination campaigned as an
outsider, an honest man, with fresh leadership - Carter won a narrow victory due to social class
racial factors - Affluent, well-educated, suburban voters chose
Ford - Socially economically disadvantaged voted for
Carter
12Fords foreign policy blunder during the TV
debates in 1976 There is no Soviet domination
of Eastern Europe
13Disenchantment with Carter
- Carter entered office with no clear political
philosophy or vision - Deregulated the airline industry which lowered
prices - Buthis attempts to reform welfare Social
Security failed - He had no remedy for soaring inflation, interest
rates, bank failures that hurt the economy
In 1979, Carter gave the national malaise
speech in which he discussed the importance of
conserving energy but seemed to blame Americans
for creating a crisis in confidence
14Carters Human Rights Foreign Policy
15A Declining Superpower
- Americas international dominance declined
sharply in 1970s due to - Americans increasing desires to avoid another
Vietnam - The War Powers Act forced the president to
consult with Congress before sending troops - The escalating military costs deficit spending
made sustaining the Cold War impossible
16Foreign Policy Human Rights
- Carter focused his foreign policy on a commitment
to human rights - Spoke out against repressive regimes in Latin
America apartheid in South Africa - Reformed the CIA to operate within the law (but
only briefly) - Negotiated the return of the Panama Canal to
Panamanians
17Foreign Policy Human Rights
- In Nov 1977, Egyptian leader Sadat made an appeal
with Israel to settle the October War of 1973 - Carter invited Egyptian leader Sadat Israeli
leader Begin to the U.S. to negotiate terms - The Camp David accords in 1979 led to a peace
treaty between Egypt Israel, but alienated
other Arab nations
18Celebrating the Camp David Accords Menachem
Begin, Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat
19The Cold War Resumes
- During the Carter years, the Cold War rivalry
between the U.S. USSR widened due to - A new arms race as the U.S. adopted new MX
missiles Trident submarines - SALT II failed to make lasting arms reduction
- Increased U.S.-Sino relations put the USSR on the
defensive
20Ohio-class submarine with
Trident nuclear missile capability
21The Cold War Resumes
- Détente ended when the USSR invaded Afghanistan
in 1979 - The U.S. interpreted the attack as a move to take
the Middle East responded with - Economic embargo of the USSR
- Boycott of the Moscow Olympics
- Aid to the Afghani resistance
Carter hoped to limit nuclear arms advance
human rights, but found himself in a heightened
Cold War
22Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979
23The Iranian Hostage Crisis
- The Camp David victory was offset by the 1979
Iranian hostage crisis - Exiled Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Khomeini
led a coup against U.S.-backed the shah - When Carter allowed the shah to enter the U.S.
for medical aid, irate mobs in Tehran took 52
hostages from the U.S. embassy
24Quest for Peace in the Middle East
- Carters attempts at diplomatic, military,
economic threats failed to bring a return of the
hostages - In 1980, Carter approved a rescue mission that
was aborted after 2 helicopters crashed - The perceived blunders inability of Carter to
end the hostage crisis hurt Carter in his
re-election bid in 1980
25The U.S. Economy in the 1970s
26A Troubled American Economy
Workers wages did not keep up with rising prices
- The 1970s economy grew stagnant
- Unemployment grew to 9
- Heavy industry jobs fell due to outsourcing
foreign competition - 1970s experienced huge inflation
- Due to Vietnam deficit spending, global food
shortage, oil shocks - Massive price increases led to a 5.5 decrease in
real income for average Americans
Milk hamburger prices rose 200
A stagnant economy
High inflation
STAGFLATION
Bread prices rose 400
Car prices rose 72
Neither Ford nor Carter could stop stagflation
Carters policies actually drove interest rates
up to 20
27Energy and the Economy
The fuel shortage led to a 200 increase in the
price of gas home heating
To punish Israels allies when Egypt Syria
attacked against Israel
- In the 1970s, 2 great oil shocks hurt the U.S.
economy - In 1973, the Arab members of OPEC initiated a 5
cut on production an embargo against the U.S. - The Iranian Revolution in 1979 cut off oil led
to another gas-shortage soaring interest rates
Led to worst recession since Depression
28The Oil Shocks Price Increases of Crude Oil
Gasoline
The OPEC oil embargo
Iranian Revolution
29The Search for an Energy Policy
- These oil shocks forced the U.S. to realize its
dependency on other nations for oil led to
action - Nixon formed the EPA to oversee industrys
environmental impact - The new Dept of Energy (1977) emphasized
conservation domestic energy production - StillU.S. oil imports rose 50 from 1973 to 1979
Mandated gas mileage requirements, speed limits,
price controls on domestic oil
Nuclear plants Alaskan oil pipeline
30ConclusionsA Failed Presidency
31A Failed Presidency
- Carters failures with inflation, Iran,
Afghanistan overshadowed his foreign policy
victories with the Panama Canal the Middle East
- The failures of Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter
led to a desire among Americans for a strong
leader who could face both domestic foreign
challenges
Carters 1980 approval rating was 23