APUSH Notes 4/30

The 1970s: Introduction

  • Jimmy Carter (D) Georgia 1976-1980

  • Gerald Ford (R) Michigan 1974-1976

  • Coming out of the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal there seemed to be grave doubts about the nation and its future.

  • Lack of trust in government

  • While Detente held during the early-mid 1970s, new challenges arose. And, by the end of the decade the Soviet Union suddenly became aggressive!

  • The 1970s saw a period of extended economic decline in nearly every sector!

  • Socially and culturally civil rights challenges continued…

  • Characterized by the economic period called: Stagflation

Stagflation

  • This was essentially a period of high unemployment

  • There was weak demand

  • There was rising inflation: Vietnam War, Entitlement program spending, and taken off the gold standard (printing more money)

  • GDP was growing at a very slow rate.

WIN (Whip Inflation Now!) was Ford’s Plan

  • Ford’s plan to “Whip Inflation” did not work.

Failing US Industries

  • The “Rust Belt” was the industrial sector, which was having issues because there was global industrial competition, which presents a problem because the US used to be the biggest in the industries for production (steel, etc.)

  • Japan had big steel producers, which would eventually flood the US markets because they had cheap, quality, and better cars, which was bad for US production.

The OPEC Oil Embargo 1973

  • In part to punish the US for supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, the oil producing Nations launch an embargo!

  • There was a great gas shortage during this time because of the embargo

1976 Election

  • The 1976 Election was not a landslide and for many voting for Carter was a “protest vote”

Environmental Issues

  • In the late 1960s a new focus on Environmentalism developed leading Nixon to establish the EPA in 1970

  • In 1976 a neighborhood in NY was discovered to have been built over a chemical waste dump…

  • Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactors: one of the coolers failed, and no one knew about it. People found out and pumped water onto it, but it created radioactive steam (fall out), which was disastrous.

  • We have not built another Nuclear reactor since three mile island

Important Foreign Policy Victories 1976-1980 Foreign Policy Issues

  • The Helinski Accords on Human Rights (Ford) 1975

  • The Camp David Accords (Carter) 1978

Start of Iranian Hostage Crisis

  • 52 American hostages were taken in 1979 and occured for over 400 days.

  • This was a kick in the butt to Carter

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979

  • Following a brief fundamentalist Islamic Uprising in Kabul, the Soviets invaded to place to install a pro-Russian Government.

  • The CIA sent in secret arms shipments to the Mujahedeen Rebels with Carter’s approval.

  • Weaponry turned it into a Guerilla war

  • The Mujahadeen are now called the Taliban

  • Carter publicly embargo’ed grain

  • We boycotted the Olympics that were held in Moscow (didn’t help Carter out much)

The 1980 Election

  • Reagan’s 1980 run for the White House built upon the ideas of The New Right that attracted Southern Conservatives to the Republican base.

  • There was a 3rd Party candidate, Anderson

  • It was a landslide for Reagan

  • Reagan’s campaign effectively played upon the economic woes of the previous four years coupled with failures in foreign policy leading to a major landslide.