USA short answer test 1970s

Nixon

elected to office in 1968 and re-elected in 1972. His policies of "Peace with honour" and Vietnamisation led to withdrawal of ground troops with simultaneous escalation of bombing – including secret bombing of Cambodia.

political failures and declining confidence

Media leaks from his administration led Nixon to authorise illegal surveillance measures by 'the plumbers'. When they were caught the resulting Senate enquiry put pressure on Nixon, exposing his actions and a dysfunctional Whitehouse.

The threat of impeachment forced Nixon to resign in 1973, escalating the unelected Gerald Ford to the Presidency. Ford was unelected and prone to 'gaffs'. His withdrawal from Vietnam saw communism take over shortly afterwards.

The 1976 election saw the lowest turnout since SWW – 54%. Carter's election was hoped to restore greater statesmanship to the Presidency with his principled Christian convictions. However, he lacked the political skills of negotiating with congress or managing his media image.

counterculture

continued to undermine traditional values of deference. Anti-war protests escalated under Nixon.

Democratic national conference (1972)

saw radicals in the party sabotage many of the events. They booed the Party candidate for President (Hubert Humphrey) and nominated Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong to be a Vice President.

New Right

a coalition of Christian Evangelicals and those opposed to big government, promoting issues of anti-abortion, low tax and opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Reagan successfully attracted support from the New right, winning election in 1980.

emerging economic problems

American economy was heavily dependent on oil imports. When the price of oil escalated (due to American support for Israel) by 387%, inflation in the USA ballooned, peaking at 14.7% in 1980.

In 1974 100,000 truckers led strikes calling for lower fuel prices, forcing a standstill on American roads for 11 days. In 1979 half the petrol stations in America were without fuel, causing queues and escalating prices.

America's trade deficit grew, importing more than it was exporting. This caused industrial decline in parts of America where jobs had been based in manufacturing (e.g. Detroit saw 24% unemployment by 1980 as car manufacturers moved production abroad).

why did poverty and homelessness increase?

higher unemployment, increased inner city drug use, political policies which saw the closure of institutions for the mentally ill.

did government policy improve the situation?

Carter cut government spending on defence and welfare and urged wage and price controls in the private sector. This angered traditional blue-collar democrat voters.

leisure and travel

•Families able to buy a car increasingly did so, this contributed to the white flight to the suburbs leaving ghettoised inner cities. 

•Spectator sports remained popular, although the competition pushed many sports teams to seek support from sponsors over their supporters, moving cities to improve revenue (NFL team Oakland Raiders moved to LA).

•Air industry was deregulated by Congress in 1978 - allowing airlines to set their own prices.

status of African-Americans - social and political

Elected politicians in the south were still overwhelmingly white, despite increased black voter registration – Georgia had 27% black voters, but 3.7% African Americans in elected office.

In the north, Supreme Court Cases forced states to introduce busing. In 1974 black students bused to white schools in Boston were jeered by white parents who surrounded the school, throwing objects. Boston's school role declined from 45,000 in 1974 to 16,000 in 1987 as white parents sent children to private schools instead.

Nevertheless economic opportunities had improved - 35-45% of African American families were classified as middle class in 1970s.

women’s equality

Congress voted for the ERA in 1972, although this was then opposed by Phyllis Schafly with her "Stop ERA" organisation which attracted 50,000 members. ERA was never ratified.

Roe vs Wade (1973) saw anti-abortion laws across America overturned.

immigration

dominated by the effects of LBJ's 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act - abolished the 1920's national origins formula for immigration, marking a move away from nativism in a more liberal political environment.

1950s – half of immigrants had come from Europe, with most of the rest from Canada.

1970s – half of immigrants came from Latin America and a third from Asia.

400,000 Indochinese also settled in USA following Vietnam's fall to communism.

broadcast news

Growth in TV ownership and decline in confidence led to greater interest in - "60 Minutes" became the most successful programme ever in America.