Title: A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE, 1969-1980
1A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE, 1969-1980
- America Past and Present
- Chapter 31
2Nixon in Power
- Apparent success in first term
- Triumphs in foreign affairs
- Nixon cuts himself off from Congress, his own
cabinet, and the nation
3Reshaping the Great Society
- Nixon and the Great Society
- more efficient administration
- shift responsibility to the states
- shift school desegregation to the courts
- Shift to conservative Supreme Court
- appointment of conservatives and moderates
- Burger Court similar to Warren Court
- Pace of change slows but continues
4Nixonomics
- Nixon and inflation
- inflation spurred by Vietnam
- federal spending cuts
- interest rates forced up
- 1970--Nixon-induced recession
- 1971--wage and price controls
- Economy revives
5Building a Republican Majority
- Nixon obsessed about reelection
- Inactive on desegregation to win South
- Attack cultural revolution to win middle
America - Democrats retain majority by joining crusade
against drugs, crime
6In Search of Détente
- Foreign-policy assumptions
- Cold War to be managed, not won
- America must make a strategic retreat
- improve relations with China to neutralize Russia
- February 1972--Nixon visits China
7In Search of DétenteOutcome of China Visit
- February 1972--U.S. recognition of Communist
China set in motion - May 1972--Russians sign SALT I
- Apparent mutual desire to reduce Cold War tensions
8Ending the Vietnam War
- Nixons plan
- gradual reduction of American troops
- intensify American bombing
- hard line at the peace talks
- 1970--invasion of Cambodia
- January, 1973--peace talks conclude with
disguised American surrender
9The Crisis of Democracy
- June, 1972--Nixon agents arrested for attempted
Watergate break-in - Nixon stonewalled the press about White House
involvement - even instructed aides to lie under oath
10The Election of 1972
- Nixons opponents
- American Independent George Wallace--shot and
disabled, followers vote for Nixon - Democrat George McGovern--nomination alienates
middle class - Nixon landslide suggests new alignment
- middle class shifting to Republicans
- African Americans, Jews, the poor remain strongly
Democratic
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12The Watergate Scandal
- Summer 1973--Senate investigation
- damaging Senate hearings on cover-up
- White House tapes discovered
- Summer 1974
- Nixon must relinquish tapes
- House Judiciary committee recommends impeachment
- August 9, 1974--Nixon resigns
13The Watergate Scandal Consequences
- Demonstrates growing power of the executive
branch - Illustrates vitality of institutions
- the press
- the federal judiciary
- Congress
14Energy and the Economy
- U.S. way of life based on cheap energy
- 1970s energy crisis sparks inflation
15The October War
- October, 1973--Yom Kippur War pits Egypt, Syria
against Israel - U.S. supplies weapons to Israel
- Arab oil nations retaliate with boycott
- prices of gasoline and home heating fuel rose
sharply
16The Oil Shocks
- Effects of soaring oil prices
- consumer spending plunges
- recession by 1974
- inflation persists through 1970s
- Tax cut aids recovery
- 1979--Iranian Revolution causes second surge in
oil prices
17The Oil Shocks Price Increases of Crude Oil and
Gasoline, 1973-1985
18The Search for an Energy Policy
- Ford tries to encourage production
- Carter tries to encourage conservation
- Congressional legislation to
- encourage production, e.g. Alaska pipeline
- encourage conservation, e.g. gas rationing
- Energy problem persists
19The Great Inflation
- Oil prices drive inflation
- price of goods soars
- real income declines
- Attempted government controls result in record
high interest rates
20The Shifting American Economy
- U.S. share of world markets declines
- U.S. heavy industry declines
- High technology prospers
- Businesses tend to diversify
21Private LivesPublic Issues
- Traditional American family gives way to more
diverse living arrangements - Number of working women increases sharply
- Gay rights movement emerges
22The Changing American Family Family Life by 1990
- 21 of women solely in childrearing
- 30 of married coupes without children
- 25 of households consist of one adult
- Birthrate begins to climb after 15-year fall
- Divorce rate levels and drops slightly
23The Changing American Family New Family
Structure
- Many never marry or postpone marriage
- Most mothers work outside the home
- Proportion of single-parent households doubled
- Women without partners head 1/3 of impoverished
families - Children comprise 40 of the poor
24Types of Households in the United States, 2000
25Gains and Setbacks for Women
- Rapid movement of women into work force
- Breakthroughs for women
- leaders in industry, higher education
- Roe v. Wade strengthens reproductive rights
- women appointed to Supreme Court
- Resistance
- most women remain in female-dominated jobs
- wages only 77.5 of mens earnings
- Equal Rights Amendment fails
- abortion widely stigmatized
26Voting on the Equal Rights Amendment
27The Gay Liberation Movement
- 1969--Stonewall Riot sparks gay rights movement
- 1980--Democrats include gay rights plank
- 1980s--AIDS activism
- 1987--600,000 march on Washington
- 1993--Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy a setback
- 1996--Defense of Marriage Act prohibits state
recognition of same-sex unions - 2000--Vermont legalizes same-sex civil unions
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29Politics After Watergate
- Watergate erodes public trust
- Confrontation leaves nation leaderless
30The Ford Administration
- Pardon of Nixon unpopular
- Democratic Congress alienated
- disclosure of illegal CIA activities under
Kennedy and Johnson - opposes Democratic bills protecting the
environment and civil rights
31The 1976 Campaign
- Ford damaged by Watergate
- Democrat Jimmy Carter wins close vote
- former governor of Georgia
- campaigns as outsider
- calls for decency, morality in government
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33Disenchantment with Carter
- Carter displays lack of political vision
- Outsider status hampers effectiveness
- 1979--Carter blames American people for "national
malaise"
34From Détente to Renewed Cold War
- U.S. international dominance declined sharply in
the 1970s - Internal and external events weakened foreign
policy
35Retreat in Asia
- April 1975--North Vietnam captures Saigon
- U.S. response--evacuation, no aid
- Subsequent incidents met with caution, restraint
36Accommodation in Latin America
- 1977--treaty returns Panama Canal to Panama
- 1979--U.S. refuses aid to Nicaraguan government
against Sandinistas - Carter assists El Salvador against Marxist rebels
37The Quest for Peace in the Middle East
- Carters success
- 1978--Camp David Accords
- 1979--Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty
- Carters failure
- 1979--Iranian Revolution
- November--U.S. embassy in Teheran invaded, 58
Americans taken hostage - Carter fails to secure hostages release
38The Cold War Resumes
- Carter, Brzezinski shift from Détente
- condemn Soviet human rights abuses
- new missile systems deployed
- increased aid to China
- December, 1979--Russians invade Afghanistan
39A Failed Presidency
- Carter lost public confidence during the Iranian
hostage crisis - Double-digit inflation also contributed to voter
disappointment