Fiches culture ANGLAIS

Keynesianism

• economic output being influenced by demand

• government can stabilise the economy by injecting public money in it

Subprime loan

loan to a borrower who may not be able to pay it back

The Wall Street crash of 1929

• the Dow Jones fell by 23% in only 2 days

• caused by speculation, overproduction, easy credit

Dow Jones

stock exchange indicator

The Great Depression

• 1929-1930s

• caused :

  • unemployment in the US (25% in 1933)

  • record number of loans

  • shanty towns

  • 5000 banks went bankrupt

The subprime mortgage crisis

• 2007-2010

• 4 million of subprime loans were defaulted

• collapse of the Lehman Brothers bank, caused an international crisis

The New Deal (1930s)

• by Roosevelt

• economic program focused on the 3Rs

  • relief

  • recovery

  • reform

• in accord with Keynesiasm

The Dot-com Bubble (2000)

• example of Dow Jones fall

• crisis impacting the Internet businesses

sensationalism

news are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers

Watergate Scandal (1974)

• the Republicans spyed on the Democratic Party

• mics were placed in the opposite political party

• ex-president Nixon had to resign

Wikileaks (2010)

secret docs of the US gov about the wars in Afghanistan and Irak were published online

Edward Snowden (2013)

• whistle blower

• revealed that the US gov was listening to conversations all around the world

Panama Papers (2016)

• docs leaked about offshore financial info of a lot of personnalities

• permited to link some ppl with the Russian gov

example of unconstitutional censorship

under Trump presidency, some media couldn’t access the White House

→ The New York Times, CNN, BBC, The Guardian…

Devolution (UK)

delegation of powers from the central gov

→ decentralisation
→ allow peace
→ ex : Northern Ireland Executive ; Scottish Gov ; Welsh Gov ; Wales

First-past-the-post

• electoral system in the UK

• only the person who gets the most votes is elected

The British Monarchy

• no role in the gov

• appoints the new Prime Minister

• grants honors

Carta Magna / The Great Charter (1215)

doc signed by King John which reduces the British monarch political power

Executive branch UK

• the King

• the Gov (Prime Minister and his ministers = the Cabinet)

• the devoted assemblies

Legislative branch UK

• the Parliament

• the devoted assemblies

UK Parliament

• House of Commons (650 members elected for 5y)

  • introduce bills

• House of Lords (775 hereditary lords)

  • scrutinise bills

Judicial branch UK

• the Tribunals

• the Supreme Court of the UK (SCOTUK)

• some judiciaries for each kingdom

The Cabinet of the UK

• Prime Minister : Keir Starmer

• Chancellor of the Exchequer (€) : Rachel Reeves

• Home Secretary (ministère de l’intérieur) : Yvette Cooper

• Foreign Secretary : David Lammy

et le reste sur Google

Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)

• ideologies :

  • free market

  • eurosceptic

  • socially conservative

• media : The Times ; The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph

• leader : Rishi Sunak

→ 12 Prime Ministers since 1945

Labour Party (UK)

• ideologies :

  • social justice

• media : The Times ; The Guardian ; BBC News

• leader : Keir Starmer

→ 5 Prime Ministers since 1945

Other Parties (UK)

None has ever been elected

• Scottish National Party (middle)

• Democratic Unionist Party (right-wing)

• Liberal Democrats (middle)

• Sinn Féin (Unification of Ireland, left-wing)

• Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalism, left-wing)

• Green Party (left-wing)

Impeachment (US)

the president may be impeached for treason, bribery or other high crimes

→ the House of Representatives impeaches him
→ the Senate then tries him

US Constitution

created in 1787
→ dictates federalism, each state has its own Constitution

Executive branch US

• the President (POTUS)

  • elected by electors (indiret election) for 4 y (max 2 terms)

  • can sign legislation or veto it

  • appoint Supreme Court justices

Legislative branch US

• the House of Representatives

  • 435 seats distributed for each State based on the pop

  • elected for 2 y

  • pass legislation

• the Senate

  • 100 seats, 2 per State

  • electe for 6 y

  • approve legislation bills

The combinaison of the both makes the Congress : can pass federal budget and impeach

Judicial branch US

• the Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

  • the 9 justicies are appointed by the President

• federal judges (life time term)

Democratic Party (US)

• progressive

• easier path toward citizenship (for immigrants)

• stricter gun control

• abolition of death penalty

• equal rights for LGBT ppl

Republican Party (US)

• conservative

• about immigrants : the party is split

• no gun control

• death penalty = state prerogative

• no same-sex marriage

Winner-takes-all

voting system in the US
→ the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all the electors

Old parties (US)

• The Democratic-Republican Party

  • for a limited federal power

  • was split

• The Federalist Party

  • for a powerful federal gov

  • was dissolved

Founding fathers (7)

• Thomas Jefferson

• James Madison

• George Washington

• Benjamin Franklin

• John Adams

• John Jay

• Alexander Hamilton

American Revolutionary War

1775-1783

Declaration of Independence

4th of July 1776

1st US President

George Washington

1st Amendment

• 1791

• protect freedom

2nd Amendment

• 1791

• right to bear arms

• “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”

  → different interpretations !

13th Amendment
+ 15th Amendment

• 1865

• abolishes slavery
  

• 1870

• prohibits denying the right to vote

19th Amendment

• 1920 (119 y after the right for men to vote !)

• grants all women the right to vote

18th Amendment
+ 21st Amendment

• 1919

• prohibits sale and production of alcohol
  

• 1933

• repeals the 18th Amendment

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

States are obligated to license an homosexual marriage

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Makes laws against homosexuals unconstitutional

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Prohibits the laws prohibiting the access to abortion

→ overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation (2022)

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation (2022)

Allow states to prohibits the access to abortion

Overturns Roe v. Wade

→ 60% of Americans think it was a bad thing

United States v. Miller (1939)

States can limit access to arms

Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008)

Prohibits death penalty for all cases that don’t involve homocide or treason

Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Prohibits death penalty for mentally ill ppl

→ but each state can define what it means

Mason-Dixon line

border between slave states and free states

The Underground Railroad

(metaphora)
clandestine network of ppl helping slaves to escape to the north

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

All slaves are declared free

Jim Crow laws

• restricted the civil rights and economic opportunities of black citizens

• 1870-1960s

• separate public facilities (schools, transportation, restrooms, restaurants)

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

SCOTUS bans racial segregation in schools
→ 1st African-American child to integrate a white school was Ruby Bridges (6yo)

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)

Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat to a white person
→ followed by a SCOTUS probition to segregation in buses

Lynching of Emmett Till (1955)

Emmett Till, 14yo, was accused of offending a white person
→ he was murdered brutally but his killers were acquitted

→ catalyst for the Civil Rights Mvmt

Civil Rights Movement

Important event which resulted in legislations prohibiting discrimination based on skin color

• March on Washington (1963)

  • “I have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

• Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965)

Civil Rights Act (1964)
+ Voting Rights Act (1965)

• outlaws discrimination based on race

• prohibits racial discrimination in voting

→ acquired thanks to the Civil Rights Movement

SCOTUS later decided it also included the protection of gay ppl

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Key figure of the Civil Rights Movement

• pacifism

• known for his famous speech “I have a Dream”

Malcolm X

• African American Muslim minister

• radical activist

Traditional family model (US)

• women = “angel of the house”

• men = gain money

• 4+ children

Todays family model (US)

• only 29% of stay-at-home moms

• 2 millions of stay-at-home dads

• in average, only 2 children

Evolution of the number of marriages

• Number of marriages in the US went down by 30% since 1990

• because it’s more and more accepted to educate a child by itself

1/6 of households are multigenerational (in the US)

Because of umployment/ prices/ immigration

San Francisco = highest number of homosexual married couples

1,5%

1st birth control pills

• invented in the 1950s

• publicly available in the 1960s

surrogacy

practice of carrying a child and giving birth to a baby for intended parents

commercial surrogacy

surrogacy for monetary compensation

→ illegal in a lot of countries because “exploitation of women”

Brexit

process whereby the UK would leave the EU
→ because of the increase of immigration
→ because of the rise of euroscepticism

There was a narrow vote : 51,9% in favour of Brexit

Remainers

Ppl in favour of the UK remaining in the EU

• Labour Party

• The Guardian

• Young ppl

Brexiters

Ppl in favour of Brexit

• UKIP (UK Independance Party)

• The Times

• The Daily Mail

• eldery ppl

The Northern Ireland Protocol

Exception made to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (an EU member)

→ free movement of goods, open border with Ireland

Brexit Timeline

• 1973 : the UK joins the EU

• 2010s : the UKIP pressures David Cameron to announce a referendum

• 31 Jan 2020 : the UK leaves the EU

Populism

idea of having “the ppl” against “the elite"

→ important political practice

Demagogy

• overly simplistic answers to complex question

• high emotional manners

  → to please voters

Earth Overshoot Day

date when humanity's demand for ecological resources exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in a year

→ comes earlier each year, indicating an increasing rate

→ we would need 1,5 Earth to sustain our consumption

American consumerism : very high

• because of the Declaration of Independance “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

• 3-5 Earths to sustain

Veblen goods

Luxury goods that see increased demand as their prices rise.

Dollar Voting

consumers exercise power over production and services through their purchasing choices

Throwaway culture

• planned obsolescence

• perceived obsolescence

Solutions to overconsumerism

• upcycling

• zero waste

• degrowth

Degrowth

political, € and social mvmt calling for a decrease of productivism

Countries with nuclear weapons

• US

• UK

• Russia (6500)

• FR

• China (290)

• India (300 shared with Pakistan)

• Pakistan (300 shared with India)

• North Korea (20-30)

• Israël

Manhattan Project

• 1942-1946

• project led by Oppenheimer

• resulted in the 1st nuclear weapon

Little Boy

• Aug 6 1945

• bomb over Hiroshima 広島

Fat Man

• Aug 9 1945

• bomb over Nagasaki 長崎

Tsar Bomba

• 1961

• biggest nuclear bomb tested (22x Fat Man)

• by the USSR

Doomsday Clock

represents the likehood of a man-made global destruction

→ 90sec until midnight

Stanislav Petrov (Sep 26 of 1983)

example of close call :
- he stopped a missile from being launched over the US (a Soviet satellite malfunctioned and detected an American missile)

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968)

• signed by 189 member states (but not India, Pakistan and Israël)

• limits the spread of nuclear weapons

Iran Nuclear Deal (2015)

Iran agreed to reduce its use of nuclear technology
→ but Trump quit the deal so Iran resumed

Terrorism

use of violent actions in order to achieve political aims or to force a government to act

Example of eco-terrorism

• Sea Shepherd (attack ships)

• Animal Liberation Front

• XR : Extinction Rebellion (block roads, attack museums…)

Example of anarchist terrorism

• The Weather Underground bombings (in the US, 1960s)

• Action Directe assassinations (in FR, 1970s)

Example of communism terrorism

• Communist Party of India : considered as a terror grp

Example of white supremacy terrorism

• El Paso Walmart shooting (in Texas, 2019) : hispanophobia

• Christchruch mosque shooting (in New Z. 2019) : islamophobia

Example of nationalist terrorism

• The IRA

War on Terror (US)

• started after 9/11 attacks, by Bush

• cost $8 trillion so far

• 900 000 deaths including 364 000 civilians