Period+5+1970s

Aaron: sources Brian: historical context Adam: analysis
 * Period 5 1970s**

**1970s **

//__**Historical Context:**__//

 The period of the 1970s was one of economic **stagflation**, social prosperity, and political turbulence. American forces withdrew from Vietnam in 1973 sick of war and financially exhausted. In one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression, inflation of 5 to 10 percent (usually equivalent of a war economy) plagued Americans. 1971 heralded the end of gold - backed international currency when America declared that it no longer had the gold to support its total dollar quantity. The United States experienced the "Energy Crisis" of the early 1970s, resulting in high gasoline prices and long lines at gas stations. This crisis was a result of the **OPEC oil embargo** enacted on America in response to supplying the Israeli Military - Unable to import sufficient oil and gasoline, Americans faced extreme shortages. The energy crisis, the dollar crisis, heavy foreign investments, and excessive American borrowing resulted in a rapid episode of inflation (between 5 and 13 percent), an increase in unemployment (from 4 to 8 percent), and a recession that lasted between 1973 and 1975. American society continued on its decade long explosion of rich culture, unique ideas, and expanding individualism. The Vietnam War racked up intense anti-war protests, mostly supported by the hippies from the late 1960s. Although the hippies faded after the war ended, their ideas and culture had a huge impact on 1970s society. Feminism increased in the early and mid 70s; advocates struggled to achieve financial liberty. This movement was swallowed up by the war, but changed most American’s view of women and their abilities. Another social, as well as economical, trend came up as a result of the energy crisis. Environmentalism became a chief concern to many people, and affected politics and the economy as much as it did society. Hostility towards big business grew as political power started to shift from the Republican Party to the Democrats. As a result of the economic recession, liberal ideas and values similar to those prevailing during the Great Depression began to form in the minds of the masses. Presidents **Nixon**, Ford, and **Carter** supported Government intervention to help the people economically as well as stimulate nationwide finances. **President Nixon**, a republican candidate holding strangely liberal views on economy and government, passed legislation concerning wage and price control, **workplace safety** measures, environmental corrections such as creating the Environment Quality Council and the **Environmental Protection Agency**, **healthcare reform**, the rights of women, and southern desegregation. **Nixon** worked to improve foreign policy, implementing a policy of détente, meeting with the people’s republic of China, and passing arms restriction legislation. **Nixon** also worked to improve the social security provided by the government for the benefit of the people. Near the end of his office term, Nixon signed the **Social Security act of 1972**, giving extra benefits to the elderly and retiring workers, and improving **Nixon’s** Medicare Program, giving benefits to disabled people and extending the protections of people under the age of 65. President Ford continued much of **Nixon’s** policies, passing legislation to combat the **stagflation** felt by the nation, as well as intensive **healthcare reform**, and attempting to calm things down with Russia. **President** **Carter**, a democrat, also supported energy legislation, and created the cabinet-level Department of Energy. This department functioned in accordance to the **Carter Environmental Plan**, which advertised the benefits of energy conservation such as solar panels and passed the **Energy Act of 1978**, which regulated utilities, national fuel consumption, power plant and industrial fuel use, and natural gas use. He pursued further Arms Limitation, and strongly supported human rights. Clearly, the most popular domestic policies of the 1970s were social security and economic recovery, envoironmentalism, and women’s and human’s rights, with smaller legislation being passed concerning **workplace safety**, **social security**, and education. Foreign policy also seemed to repeat itself with each of these presidents; détente, middle-east relations, and arms-reductions were pursued by all three. Each domestic policy fits the time period and was intended, in some way, to improve America’s situation in the seventies. Economic recovery was clearly the strongest policy, and frequent legislation was passed by both **Nixon** and Ford to try and improve the economy. The economic legislation, like the New Deal, was not entirely successful in reviving the economy. It helped to support the homeless and needy, but also added to America’s already extensive social net. The most important long term effect of the 1970s legislation was putting a stop to run-away inflation. Although it would start up again eventually, this crisis helped Americans to understand the dangers of inflation. Envoironmentalism also correlates directly with an issue of the time period, mainly the Energy Crisis faced by Americans already dealing with increasing inflation. The fuel shortage opened people’s eyes to the problems associated with reliance on fossil fuels and sparked a call for green energy. The short term effects of the environmental policies were important; they included both advances in green awareness and technology. Unfortunately, green awareness dropped when fuel supplies returned to normal, and few long term affects resulted of the movement. **Carter** did, however, install solar panels on the White House roof. Human and women’s rights did not correspond to a direct event, but was rather built up from decades of slow progress. This policy had extremely dramatic short and long term affects, although both basically accomplish the same agenda. The woman’s rights movement helped to give women more of the rights they deserved and gave confidence to struggling American women. Although the feminism movement faded in the eighties, it was and continues to be an essential part of women’s fight for equality. Each of these three governmental policies, as well as the attitude and mood of the time, show America in the 1970s to be a changing place, in which conservative politics shifted to liberal, war shifted to peace, prosperity shifted to want, and waste shifted to conservation.

media type="youtube" key="ZEOGJJ7UKFM" height="390" width="480"
 * President Nixon's** resignation speech. The only American President ever to have resigned, he did so only when threatened with impeachment; a result of the Watergate Scandal.

President Nixon expresses his thoughts on his healthcare policies. [|Nixon's Radio Address on Healthcare]

William Ruckelshaus swearing in to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in on December 4, 1970.

Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev Signing the SALT II treaty

media type="youtube" key="-tPePpMxJaA" height="390" width="480" President Carter's adress on energy.

Throughout the 1970's there was a huge change in music and culture in America but the changes in the government are still remembered today. President Nixon, the only president to resign, was on the verge of impeachment due to the **Watergate Scandal.** The **Watergate scandal** was a scandal that occurred during the presidential election of 1972 and it involved President Nixon himself. Five of his highly trusted cabinet members, lead by Nixon's security coordinator John McCord, were caught in the Democratic national committee's suite, at the Watergate hotel, putting wire taps and cameras in the suite to gain an unfair advantage on his opponent. This scandal changed how people looked at the government, people lost trust in the government and its officials, yet Nixon was re-elected even when he was faced with a huge scandal. During the 1970's, major attempts at **healthcare reforms** were pushed. President Nixon wanted healthcare to be provided to all Americans through their current employer. These reforms impacted America in a long term affect by allowing people to get cheaper healthcare from their employer, this meant that people can now afford healthcare which they might not have been able to afford before. This era saw an increase in the role of the central government due to them passing many bills like **The Social Security Act of 1972** and **The Revenue Sharing Act.** This act made it so that the government gave us tax returns at the end of the year. In the 1960's there was a huge push for healthcare such as medicare and in the 1970's the **Healthcare Reforms** made by President Nixon were a definite response to the healthcare pushes made in the 1960's. The 1970's most closely resembles the turn of the 20th century because it was a time of government corruption, social prosperity and economic hardships which were also true during near the time of the turn of the 20th century.
 * //__Analysis:__//**

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187564 http://www.epa.gov/history/timeline/70.htm http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3683 [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * //__Sources:__//**