Chapter 38: Challenges to the Postwar Order (1973-1980)

Stagflation

Unusual economic situation where there was stagnant economic growth + high inflation + rising unemployment

• factors included OPEC, removal of gold standard, and failing government action

  • public discontent ensued

Watergate Scandal

Scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation of the presidency

• Operatives connected to Nixon’s reelection campaign broke into the Democratic National Committee HQ and got caught

  • exposed deep corruption in the government, sparking outrage

Gerald Ford

38th President of the US, and the only president to take office without being elected as VP or P

• struggled to fight stagflation

  • unsuccessful “Whip Inflation Now” campaign to use voluntary efforts to reduce inflation

• final withdraw of US personnel from Vietnam

Equal Rights Amendment

Proposed constitutional amendment aimed at guaranteeing equal rights under the law regardless of sex

• fell short of necessary 38 states approval before deadline

  • still a point of debate in gender equality as it could still be revived

Roe v Wade

Landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide under right to privacy under 14th Amendment

• central issue in judicial appointments and political campaigns

  • opponents think Supreme Court overstepped its authority

Betty Friedan

Leading figure in 2nd-wave feminist movement and author of The Feminine Mystique

• challenged traditional roles assigned to women

  • exposed dissatisfaction of many women

• groundwork for major legislative and social changes for women’s rights

Phyllis Schlafly

Conservative activist who opposed the Equal Rights Amendment and mobilized the New Right

• thought ERA would strip women of traditional protections

• swayed public opinion toward conservative beliefs

Milliken v Bradley

Supreme Court Case that limited scope of desegregation efforts in public schools

• ruled that courts could not mandate busing across district lines unless proven districts were drawing district lines with racist intent

  • weakened Brown v Board

    • reinforced white flight

    • exacerbated racial and economic disparities in education

US v Wheeler

Supreme Court case that reaffirmed principle that Native American tribes possessed a unique form of sovereignty

• Natives can prosecute their own members under tribal law

  • complex legal status of Native American tribes

New Right

Conservative political movement as a response to liberal social and economic policies

• economic conservatism and opposition to social change

  • reshaped American politics

Jimmy Carter

39th President of the US (Washington-Outsider)

• democrat known for his emphasis on human rights, energy, and economic struggles

• Overshadowed by Iranian Hostage Crisis which hurt his reputation

  • later known for his humanitarian work

Camp David Accords

Landmark peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, brokered by President Jimmy Carter

• US mediation in Middle Eastern conflicts

  • Egypt became first Arab nation to recognize Israel

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

Treaty between US and Soviet Union aimed at limiting number of strategic nuclear weapons each nation could possess

• Senate never ratified it

  • ultimately failed to prevent resurgence of hostilities

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Diplomatic standoff where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days

• Iranian revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy in Tehran

  • response to US granting asylum to Shah and US involvement in their country