By: Rami El-Baba, Billy George, Anusha Reddy, Indrani Saha and Omar Sturm

 MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America? 

Business & the Economy

           At the beginning of the decade of the 1970s, the economy was suffering: inflation was at 6.1% and unemployment was rising. Economic indicators had fell by 1.8%, the greatest since the 1957 recession. Between May and June of 1970, though, unemployment drops drastically and by December of the same year, unemployment is at 5.8%. In order to reverse these economic problems, President Nixon froze all prices, wages and rent for 90 days so that he could plan economic controls, which he called New Economic Policy. Nixon also implemented a $25 billion tax cut in December of 1921, which he hoped would stimulate the economy, but by 1972, it was appearing that under the New Economic Policy, Nixon’s plans did not work out as well as he had hoped; prices had increased by 40% compared to wages. To remedy this and help some of the struggling families, minimum wage was increased from $1.60 to $2.00 an hour. However, by June of 1975, the Council of Economic Advisors announced that the recession was over. The May economic indicators had risen, and the following year, the 4^th quarter reports showed a great recovery. By 1977, the economy was good again, and personal income had risen 11.1%, and President Carter was promising an increase in minimum wage to $3.35.

             Before the 1970s, white males occupied most of the workplace jobs. Each year in 1970s, though workplace discrimination was challenged. Firstly, in 1970, the Department of Labor issued guidelines against sexual discrimination. In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled against job tests that discriminated against African Americans or women with small children and racial quotas were set up for construction work in three major cities. Then, the Civil Service Commission changed guidelines so that no federal job was men-only or women-only. A couple years later, AT&T was forced to pay 15,000 women and minority employees $15,000,000 in apology for discrimination, Delta Airlines was ordered to hire more women and blacks and Detroit Edison had to pay $4 million and Georgia Power and Light $2.1 million to black employees for discrimination. In 1974, the government banned job discrimination based on marital status. This fight for equality may have resulted in more women entering the workforce, as in 1970, women made up 34% of the work force and 10 years later, 42.5%, an 8.5% increase. African Americans did not have such great successes though, and by the end of the decade, 31.8% of their population was unemployed and when employed, earned less than the average white woman, who earned 1/3 less than the average white man.

            In terms of foreign relations and trading, the U.S. lifted its trade embargo in China on June 10^th 1971, and 5 years later, Nissan, a Chinese automobile surpassed Volkswagen as the most imported foreign carmaker. In 1972, the U.S. sold some of its crop to other nations:  $750 million in grain to the Soviet Union and 18,000,000 bushels of wheat to China. Oil later became a problem in the 1970s. When most Arab oil-producing countried lifted their embargos on America, the U.S. was in the middle of rising oil prices which were resulting in less airplane flights and strikes on the highway. In 1979 though, the Iranian national government stopped supporting the oil companies, and there was a severe oil shortage, and heating costs skyrocketed. The state of California even went so far as to ration gas and independent truckers took to protesting because of lowered speed limits and high gas prices.

            Overall, there were a few major trends: inflation, bailouts, increased attention and ramifications pollution and employee health, strikes and fighting against workplace discrimination.

Education

Education changed drastically in the time between the 1960's and the 1970's.  In the 1960's, school administrators focused their attention on high achieving students and not those who were struggling, so that the high achieving students could reach high levels of success.  Although this did help many intelligent students become very successful in education, it took away the right of the other students from reaching their full potential.  In the 1970's the teaching methods of the administrators changed and the focus went more towards those who were struggling and they helped them reach their potential.

Fashion in the 70's!
From today’s biggest runway names to fashion history’s biggest flops, the 1970s was quite the interesting time in the world of fashion.

      Fashion in the early 1970s carried forth the trends of tattered jeans, tie-dye shirts and loose-fitting clothing which flourished during the 60s “hippie” era. By the time 1971 came around, however, it was quite evident that “hippie” was no longer hip. This early portion of the decade gave way to a more revealing trend in women’s fashion. From miniskirts to mini-dresses, the first few years of the 1970s definitely deviated from conservative. Another 1971 revealing fashion trend which also played a role in women’s fashion, tube tops and hot pants. In a time when partying was all the rage, young women would often dress in tight-fitting shorts as well as tighter shirts. The “crop-top” (shirts cut-off or tied to expose the midriff) was also a popular fashion trend with young teens. As disco began to grow, miniskirts, mini dresses and hot pants were all popular amongst young women.

     But, what about those who were more conservative? Well, the 1970s was also produced very high-waisted bell-bottoms and platform shoes for the more conservative “disco-goer.” Bell-bottoms, pants that are quite tight around the thigh area but later flair out starting around the knee (forming a bell shape), were a popular craze among men as well, who often paired the pants with business suits. In regards to platform shoes, the saying of the 70s was “the higher the better.” These shoes not only increased ankle injuries in the 1970s, but the chunky and thick look earned platform shoes a spot as one of the worst fads of the decade. What else was in? GLITTER! With stars like David Bowie and Marc Bolan, glitter became the epitome of all fashionable accents from 1972-1974. This part of the decade had clothes which ranged from bedazzled bell-bottoms to satin hot pants to ornate glitter make-up. Even men took on this new “twinkle trend” and had fully sequined dress shirts paired with velvet trousers.

     By the late 1970s, fashion continued to evolve. The same trends from the earlier years were continued, however, women’s fashion experienced a significant change – the pantsuit. This new form of fashion embraced the more masculine side of women’s fashion. With designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and newer designers like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren popularizing “masculine meets feminine”, women were freed from the typical a-line skirt look into a new world of pantsuits and blazers. Men’s fashion evolved as well. Most of men’s fashion in the 70s was gained from movies such as “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta. The white polyester suit of the mid-70s was replaced with the newer 3three-piece suits with wider lapels and casual wear typically consisted of baseball jersey-type shirts with slogans. Zipper jumpsuits were also a fad at the time.

     Overall, it seems that fashion faux-pas were not that hard to come across in the 1970s. However, from miniskirts and bell-bottoms to Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, the decade is credited for bringing contemporary America some of its most popular looks. Most importantly, it seems that the biggest fashion lesson this decade taught America was what not to wear.

Film and theater

The 70’s was the decade that began home entertainment. The first VHS feature films were authorized to be put on consumer home screens in 1977 by Paramount Pictures. One of the first major home film distribution companies originated in Detroit Michigan. It was called Magnetic Video Corporation. It published over 50 films from 20th century fox.
These advances made it possible for families to sit on their own couch in their living room and watch movies that they would normally have to sit in a crowded smoky theater. This caused a boom in the movie industry with more money to be made.

Some major movies that debuted during this time period include, the original star wars, jaws and the exorcist. The first star wars is about Luke sky walker becoming a JedI and fighting the Darth Vader and destroying death star. For a full Summary click here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/plotsummary
Jaws is based on the large fear of shark attacks that people had during this time period. A woman goes swimming and feels something tug on her legs. It turns out to be a shark and she is attacked. The next day her body washes up on shore and the town is sent into chaos. Full summary here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_%28film%29
The exorcist is a good representation of the seventies obsession with horror films. This film focuses on a demon and people being possessed by the devil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_%28film%29 Some other big movies of this time period include Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, the rocky horror picture show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Halloween, Grease, Rocky and many more.
(a list of popular movies from the 70’s http://www.retrojunk.com/movie/list/1970/2/pop/)

Food &  Drink

Print Culture in the 70’s!

     In the early 1970s, writer Gore Vidal proclaimed “the novel is dead.” In a way, he was correct. The seriousness of novels were no longer present in post- WWII America and much rather for entertainment. Predominantly written by white males, novels took on several newer genres with a sudden increase in the number of female and minority writers during the time. The so called “Great American Novel” was soon replaced by popular fiction at a time when Americans yearned for excitement.

     One of the most prominent genres at the time was romance. The Harlequin Romances, a publishing group which produced several of the decade’s romance novels was growing rapidly as more and more women gained interest. Who were the largest audience of these novels? Not surprisingly, they were housewives who wanted an escape from their everyday tasks. Another aspect which drew women to these novels was the fact that the novel was not only written by men. Many authors of the romance novels included women who were able to connect with their target audience and take the reader on an adventure. What else drew readers in? Much like magazines today, the passion-filled and colorful covers. In fact, the Harlequin Romances were almost comparable to a magazine. With a set issuing date for each novel and being quite inexpensive, it was not unusual to see women buying a Harlequin Romance novel every week.

     Print culture in the decade also consisted of magazines. The 1970s seemed to be the source of several popular magazines. People magazine began in 1974 and revolutionized the way that celebrity gossip entered America’s homes. With glossy covers and eye-catching photographs of pop cultures biggest names, People magazine was a big hit in the US and continues even today. One of the primary changes which could be seen in the 1970s in terms of magazines was the obvious split between male and female readers which produced magazines such as Hustler and Ms.  In a very sexualized decade, Hustler magazine seemed to fit right in with much of the male audience but was largely criticized for objectivizing women. Starkly contrasting this was Ms. Magazine which was the magazine for the “liberated woman.” Born from earlier feminist movements, Ms. Magazine brought women a voice and spoke out on issues ranging from abortion to economic oppression. This magazine, however, was also criticized for how radical it was in protesting for women.

     Lastly, the demographics of many authors during this time deviated from the norm. With many more Americans reading foreign written literature, demand for novels by Gabriel García Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges surged. However, the author who seemed to overshadow almost all other novelists came as quite a surprise, Alex Haley. Haley published his novel Roots in 1976 which followed the previous decades Civil Rights Movement. The novel introduced readers to the tribulations of being a slave and highlights several generations of an African family. Roots became so popular that by 1977, it was adapted into a 12 miniseries and Haley was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his novel.

     It is quite unambiguous that the print culture of the 1970s greatly deviated from the norm. With new gender specific texts and an introduction to several multicultural manuscripts, it is evident that the decade sparked a revolution when it came to novels and magazines.

Plugin error: That plugin is not available.

Sports &  Games

The 1970's sports scene was dominated by the Munich games in 1972. This was the first olympics to be held in Germany after the 1936 Olympics that were held by the Nazi regime. Unfortunately these games were marred by an attack on the Israeli team. The Palestinians took part of the Israeli team hostage on a helicopter. The Germans tried to rescue them but unfortunatily a Palestinian triggered a grenade that killed everyone on board. In these olympics an American swimmer Mark Spitz set a world record when he won 7 gold medals only to be recently broken by U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps. These olympics also featured a great olympic showing by the American runner Frank Shorter who won the marathon. This combined with the running from Steve Prefontaine out of Oregon started the running craze which swept the nation throughout the 1970's and still has effects today. These runners were called joggers. People from all walks of life ran to keep in shape, sparking the hit "Let's get Physical" by Olivia Newton John in 1981. 

Another charismatic figure in sports in the 1970's was Muhammad Ali. He had converted to Islam in the 1960's and refused to serve in the Vietnam War. In the 1970's he continued to be a major sports and political figure with his boxing victories and his famous fight in Zaire, "Rumble in the Jungle" and his fight in the Manila called "Thriller in Manilla." The Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers developed a rivalry in the 1970's where they each won two championships. This rivalry continues on until today where their teams face off again for the second year in a row. The NFL was dominated by the Pittsburgh Steelers who won 4 super-bowls in the 1970's. Major League Baseball was dominated by the Cinncinatti Red's Pete Rose who was convicted for betting against his own team. 

Billy Jean King led the tennis scene with 12 grand slam single titles and 16 grand slam women's doubles titles. She has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. Her most famous victory was the "Battle of the Sexes in 1973 where she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former winner at Wimbledon. The signaled the start of women's rise in sports so that today the sports world is nearly equal between the sexes. BIlly was an idol for many female athletes at the time and still is today. 

Along with several physical sports, the nation also gained interest in video games, one of the most popular at the time being PONG. The game above is an adaptation of the original made for more modern times.

Music

Music in the 1970s can be characterized by one word: variety. Many new genres of music appeared and flourished in this decade including funk, disco, punk and new wave. The “older” genres also evolved greatly in this decade. Hard rock became popular in the 1970s to show the angry and rebellious spirit of the people. Some notable hard rock bands were Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin and the theatrical, black-and-white makeup-ed KISS. Led Zeppelin was in sync with the small trend of cults, with its mystic lyrics and rock-and-roll lifestyle. KISS also reflected the mood of the decade through its costumes, makeup and use of pyrotechnics. Soft rock was also in style and become softer in the decade with the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, the Eagles, Fleetwood Ma and the Swedish group, ABBA.

Some newer trends in music included punk music that was loud, fast and angry. In this way it was similar to hard rock, but different in that punk bands like the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Ramones. They protested the dullness of society and supported nonconformity. Another newly formed genre of music that commented culture and involved wry humor was new wave or alternative music. This genre was associated the groups, the Cars, the Pretenders and Talking Heads. Perhaps less commercially popular, but equally important was the influence of the Black Pride movement on music. This movement led to increases in rhythm and blues or R&B music, jazz and soul and the uprising of artists like James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic and Curtis Mayfield.

Finally, one of the most recognizable trends from the 70s was disco music. It was an offshoot of funk music and muscially seemed like funk and rock combined. It became popular dance music and eventually involved into a culture in and of itself. This culture involved its own style of dress, including silk shirts, its own ambiance of mirror ball lights or what we now call “disco balls”. Disco also employed the use of disc jockeys which controlled which song was playing and energized the crowds, we now call these people DJs. Disco culture was enforced and popularized with the film Saturday Night Fever, which starred John Travolta and made the Bee Gees popular recording artists and produced the best selling album of all time, until Michael Jackson’s Thriller. For many, disco and its flashy dancing represented. For many, disco represented youth, sexual promiscuity and nightlife, everything that was in style, but many others disliked disco and went so far as to hold open protests against it in Detroit and Chicago!

"The Way We Lived"

The way of life in the 1970s was characterized by short-lived fads. It was also dubbed the “Me Decade” because not much was going on politically or socially, so people had time to focus on themselves. Also, in the 1970s, the economy slowed, so people had to concentrate on taking care of their family. People tried to perfect themselves and their relationships and thus visited therapists more often; they were not willing to suffer through a bad marriage and strived for something better for themselves, so the divorce rate increased.

Compared to the 1960s where protest was prominent and widespread, in the 1970s the Baby Boomers who were previously the protestors settles and therefore there was less activism this decade. However, the activistm that did occur resulted in many important conclusions. For example, the feminist movement resulted in the Equal Right Amendment, which guaranteed equal rights between males and females in federal, state and local laws. Also, the still relevant and highly debated Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade was established in 1973, and granted women the right to “choice” and gave women the right to abortion. In addition, environmentalism was supported in the decade and in 1970; the first Earth Day took place.

Some of the many fads that occurred in the 70s were: jogging and aerobics, chia pets, mood rings, which were said to change color based on mood. Others included tanning, which was later proven to be dangerous and increased the skin cancer rate, but nevertheless, people still use tanning booths and tan today. Another trend was streaking, or running across a public area, like a college campus without any clothes on. This also came about when sexual openness and freedom was emphasized as a continuation of the 1960s. This trend diminished though, with the increased knowledge and occurrence of STDs. Cults and fringe religious groups also appeared and garnered attention in the 1970s like Hare Krishnas, Moonies and the People’s Temple a group who stayed in isolation in Guyana and when confronted by a U.S. investigation, committed mass suicide in 1978.

The silliest fad of the 1970s by far was “pet rocks”. Inspired to create something that required no care or feeding, Gary Dahl “invented” the pet rock. These were no special rocks, they cost only one cent each, but were marketed for $2 initially, as demand rose, the price to buy a rock became $3.95. Each rock came with its own carrying case and an instruction manual, which taught the buyer how to do tricks like rolling over. Dahl became a millionaire and celebrity, appearing on the Tonight Show twice, almost immediately and the pet rock became a big gift trend and even high-end stores like Neiman Marcus began to sell them! Within a few months, over one million rocks had been sold! Appropriately enough, when the fad diminished after 1975, Dahl retired and began to write books and give speeches on how to become a millionaire quickly.

 It is hard to imagine the world without the smiley face, but it has only been popular since the 1970s when people started using it to boost morale at insurance companies and then capitalize on its commercial value with bumper stickers and novelty items. Another thing that first appeared around this time was the term “serial killer” which was created by the FBI to distinguish from mass murderers.

Life and the relationship with authority also changed in the 1970s with the Kent State Massacre. When President Nixon announced that troops would be entering Cambodia, a neutral country in order to remove base camps of communist Vietnamese, students at Kent State University in Ohio and many other colleges and universities protested the expansion of the war into a new country. In Kent State, students protested by breaking windows, damaging businesses and setting fire to the ROTC building and then preventing firefighters from stopping the fire. Due to all this rioting, the governor at the time sent in the National Guard. Despite this, the students kept on protesting, and after rocks were thrown, the campus security opened fire on the students, killing four and injuring 14. The guards were never sentenced for the deaths of the students. 

Government & Politics

The 1970’s was an age of protest and racial distrust. It was still  being affected by the words of extremists like the Klu Klux Klan and the Black Panthers. Many whites feared a black takeover especially in the southern states such as Alabama. The teachings of Malcolm-X frightened them and made them try and segregate even further. The 70’s brought about an era of standing up for what you believe in. In the past the government stayed out of protests for the most part as we Americans do have the freedom of speech and assembly. So naturally the country was in complete disbelief and uproar when on May 18th at Kent state university in Ohio, students protesting the Vietnam war were shot by National Guardsmen. The students were demonstrating against the war when the national guard started to break it apart. Some students were angered and began shouting and tossing stones at soldiers. This caused them to shoot and kill 4 people while injuring 9 others. A similar event took place on the same afternoon at Jackson state university in Mississippi.

The Vietnam war had a profound effect on politics during the 70’s. When Nixon was campaigning for the office of president of the United States, he had to promise that the U.S. would withdraw from the war. The war was unpopular across America and so Nixon gained votes by promising what he called “vietnamization.” This tactic consisted of replacing American soldiers with Vietnamese ones over a longer period of time so that eventually the American involvement would cease to exist. This war created great divides in politics and caused much uproar throughout the nation. President Johnson didn’t even attempt to run for re-election because this war gave him a bad public image and no one would vote for him in the upcoming election.

The most well known event of this time period relating to government would have to be Watergate. The name Watergate comes from the name of a complex where the Democratic National Convention headquarters was being held. The situation started when 5 men were arrested for breaking and entering into the complex. After and FBI investigation it was discovered that these men were associated with president Nixon’s re-election campaign. There was a special recording system in the conference room which Nixon conducted meetings so that all the things people said could be referenced. The FBI was looking to discover weather or not Nixon was directly involved with this break in. Nixon tried hard to keep these tapes away but after a long investigation Nixon was forced to resign from office. He became the first president to do so and left office leaving the country suspicious of the government. The American people were surprised that their president would take that  much effort to lie and cover up his actions and this lead to less trust in the government.

Leadership in the 70’s!

     The 1970s consisted of several political and social movements that changed history. These included the Feminist movement and the Civil Rights movement. Cults were also a fad at the time. And with the Watergate scandal involving the nation’s president, it was clear that leadership in the 1970s was quite jumbled.

     The Feminist movement of 1970s was carried over from its earliest roots in the sixties. The decade was a time when court decisions such as 1973’s Roe vs. Wade as well as others concerning sexist laws was creating an ever-changing role of women in the 70s. The talks of abortion and gender-based oppression brought women from around the US into the spotlight as they expressed their views. And, with the publication of magazines such as Ms. Magazine which focused on women becoming independent, feminists from around the country assembled together to fight for their rights as women. Women being leaders was very limited at the time, however, this movement gave few women a chance to command control. Leaders of this movement included Shirley Chrisholm, Betty Ford and Gloria Steinhem who were all able to lead women in hopes of creating a better and equal future for their gender. The Civil Rights movement also was carried forth from previous decades. After the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, the leadership position fell into the hands of none other than King’s wife, Coretta Scott King. Also a major organizer of the Feminism movement, Coretta Scott King encouraged minority women to aid bringing an end to discrimination in race as well as gender. One of the major movements during the 1970s was the Gay Rights Movement. After the election of Harvey Milk in 1977, the Gay Rights movement brought sexual orientation into a major social debate.

     Cults were also a significant part of the seventies social scene. The most notorious cult leader of the decade, and perhaps history, was Jim Jones. As the leader of an American cult stationed in Guyana, Jones established Jonestown in which he and hundreds of followers worked to create a utopian Marxist society. Jones promised a “paradise” to all of his followers, mainly made up of American civilians. His leadership led to convincing the citizens of Jonestown to commit “revolutionary suicide.” With this in mind, 900+ followers drank a cyanide-laced punch and created the largest mass suicide in American history. In fact, up until September 11, 2001, Jim Jones’s Jonestown massacre was deemed the single greatest loss of American civilian lives in a non-natural disaster.

     Lastly, the Watergate scandal of 1972-1974 was a turning point in the leadership of the United States. After the break-in at the Democratic National Committee meeting and an attempt to cover up this fault, Nixon was indicted for several crimes. Eventually, with such outcry from the nation and the threat of impeachment, Nixon resigned in August of 1974. The entire episode endangered and damaged the trust that United States’ citizens had in regards to the nation’s leadership of public officials.

This video is the announcement and footage of Nixon resigning and also provides a brief look into the Watergate Scandal. An event which rocked the political world and led to many Americans losing trust in the government.

This video creatively depicts an excerpt from a speech given by Harvey Milk speaking on gay-rights. It is important to remember that without his work, the gay-rights movement of the 21st century would not be where it is today.

Law &  Justice

During the 1970s, debate over women's rights continued in the United States.  The main concern for women's rights that was debated at the time was between pro-choice, and pro-life people.  In Texas, during the 1970's, abortion was only permitted if the pregnancy put the mother's life at risk, but some women saw this as a violation of their rights.  Women's rights activists worked to gain that right of choice.  Activists/Lawyers Weddington and Coffee worked together with plaintiff, McCorvey, on the issue.  The case was named "Roe vs. Wade", and the intent of the case was to challenge the constitutionality of Texas abortion laws.  Weddington and Coffee fought hard for the right of "pro-choice". The result of the case was that all laws taking away a woman's right of choice were overturned.  During the first trimester of pregnancy it became legal for a woman to preform an abortion, and was legal in the second trimester if the woman's life was at risk from the pregnancy.

The importance of the Roe vs. Wade case has carried on to the 21st century.  Throughout the 1970's till today, the ethical and political dilemna of abortion is continuously debated.  As of now, abortion is legal, but is subject of change.

Religion

Religion in the 1970's made a change from the common orthodox religions such as Christianity or Judaism, into the more spiritual religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. In the 1970's people fled from organized practice of religion to more individual expression.  There were also many cults that developed and became more popular throughout the decade. These cults and spiritual movements made quite an impact on the overall culture of America at the time. Some people, however, continued to practice religion as they always had.

In 1978, there was an incident with a cult called "The People's Temple" started by Jim Jones in about 1953. This cult was originally not very out of the ordinary or strange but later turned into a terrible, controlling, and hypnotizing movement. Jones had the power to call out crowds of thousands whenever he wanted and the people who came not only believed in the cult but made the cult their life. Eventually the church and the government stood against Jim Jones and after the negative criticism, he took his main followers and moved to British Guyana. In British Guyana after some time of having his followers work shifts from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. a congressman caught word of the cruel activities going on in Jonestown and ended up visiting the site. Jonestown gunmen ambushed the investigators and only few escaped. Jones ordered a mass suicide of his cult and 912 cult members died of drinking poison on November 8th, 1978.

In 1970's in the United States there was a reaffirmation of religious belief. However there was at the same time a rejection against organized religion. More people chose to pursue an individual belief system. While many people challenged their churches, faith in God actually increased. In the 1970's a movement called the Hare Krishnas, became one of the most visible religious movements that came from the Far East. The Beatle George Harrison contributed heavily to the movement and was a part of it himself. 

Political Cartoons

Positive Political Cartoon

Yaakov Kirschen

January 1, 1973

This political cartoon expresses the people’s opinion on the economic recession and workers’ strikes of the 1970s. Though the cartoon is commenting on it, it takes the matter lightly and in a humorous way, instead of having an overly complaining tone. The government workers are joking that everyone is striking but them, and that they should announce an economic slowdown, or an order to reduce production, but there is no possible way that they can work any slower because everyone is striking. This cartoon is taking a light-hearted look on a serious topic, so in this way, it is a positive cartoon that reflects on the political and economy status of the 1970s. 

Negative Political Cartoon

Herb Block

April 4, 1974
Published in the Washington Post (78)

This political cartoon features President Nixon emerging from piles of money with a money-bag for a head and carrying a sign that reads “I am not a crook”. It is alluding to Nixon’s speech in which he talked about Associated Press editors about how he has not profited from public service. In actuality, Nixon had been profiting and had been using the money for such things as an ice maker, heated swimming pool, club chairs, table lamps, sofas and pillows, all of which he claimed were for his “security”. After investigation from the IRS and a congressional committee, he agreed to pay back $432,787.13 plus interest. All this came after Nixon said, “I have earned every cent… People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.” Herb Block is bringing Nixon’s corruption to attention by representing him as nothing but money, demonstrating his lack of character and morals that he showed by using public money for personal use and then lying on top of it that he did not do anything wrong.

MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?

     Despite all the economic and political troubles of the 1970s, the people did not stop living their lives and went on doing ordinary things and taking part in democracy. Though activism was decreased compared to the 1960s, the 70s brought about great changed in the world of job discrimination, women’s rights and for the environment. Once the Baby Boomers settled, they took care of themselves and their families in the hard economic times, and always wanted the best for themselves and never settled for less, which often resulted in trips to the therapist or divorce, which is by the decade is often called the “Me decade” due to focus on oneself. They also engaged in many short-lived fads like mood rings, lava lamps and pet rocks, some of which profited in the millions of dollars. And life went on after tragedies like the Kent State massacre in which students were killed by campus guards for protesting a war they did not like. In terms of culture, topics such as fashion, music, film and theater as well as print culture all impact post-WWII America. Fashion in the 1970s consisted of clashing colors and faux pas, yet the decade surged in terms of pushing the limit with women’s clothes. Were it not for the seventies, blazers and other masculine-associated clothing would not have broken the stereotypical “women in skirts” look. With the craze of disco came the ever-popular polyester suit and platform shoes. The fashion in the 1970s pushed the boundaries of American attire and taught a valuable lesson in what should be worn and what should be left in the past. After the novel was proclaimed dead in the 1970s, print culture has never been the same. The decade offered America a look into the works of minority and female authors. The decade led to one of the most celebrated works of all time, Roots by Alex Haley and one the most popular gossip magazines of today, People Magazine. The seventies introduced one of the best-selling authors of the century, Stephen King. The print culture allowed America to understand that there was more to literature than just the conventional white man writing a novel. It explored the boundaries of texts pertaining to different genders as well as highlighting different ethnic and racial works as well. Music underwent many drastic changes in the 1970s. New styles of music like funk, punk and new wave appeared and gained popularity and disco became the defining trend of the 1970s due to the popularity of Saturday Night Fever. Disco became a culture by itself with its own music, dance moves, decorations and clothing style, symbolizing youth. Though the many styles of music clashed and all were not universally liked, all the genres gained their own support and the movements defined the decade and still have relevance today, with the new terms like “disc jockey” “mirror, disco balls”, and many famous music groups like Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, KISS, Clash, ABBA, James Brown and many, many others. The decade in and of itself provided a plethora of changes regarding culture. Everything from the lifestyle to the pasttimes changed in a drastic way and in most cases, for the better. The culture of the 1970s provided a strong foundation in which the culture specifically geared toward women and other races flourished.

     Leadership in the 1970s was a time in which women made huge bounds in commanding the attention of the nation. With Shirley Chrisholm, Betty Ford and Gloria Steinhem bringing the Feminist movement to every part of the United States and Coretta Scott King organizing minority women to challenge discrimination, the women of the seventies truly revolutionized what feminist leaders had the ability to do. Gay-rights also led a powerful movement with leader Harvey Milk. With his courage to go against conservative beliefs, Milk was able to bring gay-rights years forward than what could have been done at the time. Leadership also took a turn for the worst. The devastating Jonestown massacre exposed the brutality of cult life and the Watergate scandal of 1972 forced many Americans to question the trust held with public officials. Another big movement that happened in the 1960s and also in the 1970s was the desegregation, or integration, movement.  The government took big strides in eliminating segregation in the south.  The hardest part of the integration movement was desegregating schools. The education systems in the 1970s allowed non-achieving students to reach their full potential, thus allowing them to get better jobs in their future.  Also, the strides in the integration movement helped America fulfill its duty as a free country.The fight for “pro-choice” laws really stirred up a lot of controversy in the United States, which still pertains today.  Although the laws were controversial due to religion and ethics, woman believed it was a large stride for women’s rights. In general, it is quite obvious that the leadership women took definitely impacts the role women have in post-WWII society.

     The 1970s was marked by economic troubles, a recession, unemployment and inflation. Howver, within a few years, the recession was considered to have ended, and the economy bounced back. Soon after, personal income rose and the economy showed signs of a strong recovery. During this time though, many strikes occurred and workers gained many rights like increased minimum wage and brought attention to job discrimination against women and minorities, so that companies together spent millions of dollars paying their employees in apology for this discrimination. Oil was also a problem in this decade, with oil prices rising and troubles in the Middle East, people began to protest on the highways and airlines cut down on flights; this problem continues today as we still struggle with increasing gas prices and Middle Easter oil problems. Another major improvement in terms of business was the establishment of several snack foods and fast food business. A lot of the popular food and drink of the 1970s was not things one could make at home, but things that were bought off big name companies.  This led to a huge increase of consumerism.  Many brand name companies took off in the 1970s because of people’s want for snack foods such as potato chips and TV dinners.  Today, in the 2010, buying brand name snack foods is still seen very commonly. The film industry also revolutionized a major part of business. With the movie theaters rapidly changing for the better, this new leisurely activity is still a major part of the nation's source of business. In general, despite the nation's economic woes, Americans strived to find new ways which not only imporved leisure after the difficulty of the Vietnam War, but also improved the nation's domestic market.

     All in all, the seventies were truly spectacular. Although headlines were plagued with talks of irresponsible public officials, college campus massacres and a cult-related mass suicide, the decade did provide post-World War II America with culturally enriching experiences. Whether it be more power for women, African Americans and gays, or merely making life easier for the American family with fast food and blockbuster films, the 1970s revolutionized the way Americans lived. While the decade may be remembered for its crazy "pet rock" and mood ring fad or its injury-inducing platform shoe fashion, the leadership, events and culture of the 1970s not only taught America valuable lessons and changed post-WWII society for the better, but also provide integral parts to society in 2010.

Works Cited

***All animations used can be found on www.bestanimations.com