Steven Houtschilt, Nick Martin, Lane Boyd, Maddy Glover

 

 

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

 

 

Business & the Economy

 

     Americans hoped for the 1980s to be a prosperous decade. However, the American public became used to a decrease in disposable income. The wealthier twenty percent of America enjoyed a 3.5 percent increase in income while the lower eighty percent of America suffered from loss. An initial strike of the upcoming losses became apparent with the crash of Chrysler, the nation’s third-largest automotive industry. The crash caused a recession in 1972 that continued for three years. President Reagan attempted to soothe the nation by running his campaign with a “business-first” initiative. Reagan also cut social programs and increased military spending.

     One industry that survived the suffering American market, and even in the global market, was the computer industry. This success was due to the scientific advances in America versus the scientific knowledge in other countries. Products created in the United States included semiconductor schips, computers and transistors. However, the Japanese began competition in creation of semi-conductor chips, and eventually took the US out of the market. This left the US in the market of producing computers and transistors, soon to be a market overtaken by Japanese Hitachi, Toshiba, and NIC.

 

Education

 

In the 1980s, America was in the final stages of noticing widespread suburban migration from various ethnicities, also known as the “white flight.” Segregation of the races was a goal initially, but the magnitude of the migration made integration the final outcome. Increasing concern in the issue caused President Reagan to take a stand. During his campaign, Reagan promised to remove Department of Education from cabinet and end federal involvement in education, promises that were never acted upon. Finally, the 1980s sparked an interest in college studies. Students shifted their mentalities from industrial and mechanical to careers requiring scholastic achievement.

 

Fashion

Fashion had changed by the 1980s.  For women, they were more or less forced to find their individuality instead of keeping up with the latest fashion trends.  Each season, designers brought new styles which incorporated fashions from other historical periods and mixing them with new colors and fabrics.  Women also combined and modified trends by combining them with their own personal preferences.  The length of skirts went through a change as well.  In the 1980s there wasn’t any specific length that was more popular or accepted than the rest.  Also in the 1980s women started to use eye shadow, lining their lips, and using all types of moisturizing or wrinkle-reducing makeup. “The Laura Ashley country look—dresses, skirts, and home furnishings in cabbage-rose prints—was also fashionable. The British designer Ashley and the American designer Ralph Lauren provided women with classic velvet, lace, and linen in the form of long skirts and traditionally feminine blouses” (Attire).

For men, their styles “blended the sensuality and expressiveness of the 1970s with the elegance of the 1980s” (Clothing).  Open-necked shirts and loosely tailored suits from the past decade revealed a relaxing lifestyle and these types of clothing were quite popular.  Suits of the 1980s meant business, and included ties, straighter trousers than before, and colors were limited to blacks, blues, and grays.  With more styled jeans, khakis, and long shorts, men sported the more preppy polo shirts.

 

  

Film and theater

 

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In the 1980s, Broadway returned with its biggest shows and stars in years.  As the price to see shows continuously increased, audiences expected more elaborate performances.  Producers began to pack their productions with “special effects and eye-popping scenery and costumes” (The Theater).  One of the biggest musical hits was Les Miserables in 1987, which won eight Tony Awards.  Another popular performance was Michael Bennett’s Dreamgirls in 1981.  Cameron Mackintosh was the marketing genius behind many award winning shows, including Cats, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera.  “Despite their appetite for spectacle, audiences in the 1980s also developed a taste for "well-made" plays with serious and challenging themes” (The Theater).

Also in the 1980s, special effects were beginning to be used to make movies and films more exciting, and, usually, more violent.  Many extremely famous movies came out in this decade, including E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, Star Wars—The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983, and also four Star Trek movies (Film).   Horror films gained popularity, mainly because of successful films such as Friday the 13th in 1980 and its many sequels, along with Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984.  This decade also brought about new celebrities, many who are still extremely famous today.  These include people such as Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams.

 

Food &  Drink

Foods and drinks like these flourished in the 1980s:

Taco Bell

McDonald’s

Sweetarts

Skittles

Nerds

Runts

Hubba Bubba Chewing Gum

Five Alive

Peter Pan Peanut Butter

Tootsie Rolls

Heinz Ketchup

Oreo Double Stuf

Twizzlers

Jawbreakers

Cool Ranch Doritos

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

Fruit Snacks

Lean Cuisine

Capri Sun

 

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Print Culture

As large book publishers bought the smaller ones, the amount of publishers continuously decreased.  The bigger publishing houses printed books by known writers.  They rarely offered chances to new talent.  Booksellers became popular, however the smaller, independent stores were “pushed out of business by large chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders” (Print).  In the 1980s, magazines and newspaper also went through some major changes.  The introduction of USA Today in 1982 was a big step in history.  It started out slowly, but soon it became quite popular.  Magazines had started to become extremely specialized.  Before there had been general fashion magazines, but by the 1980s there were fashion magazines specifically for “teens, middle-aged women, older women, and even plus-sized women” (Print).  Other groups of people were targeted as well, “including young black males, Hispanics, college students, food enthusiasts, and sports fans of all sorts” (Print).

 

 Sports &  Games

 Baseball in the 1980’s was simply lucky to survive.  There were many great teams and players however this decade is better known for its strikes, threats of strikes, and substance abuse revelations.  Basketball was also going down hill in the 80’s.  Revenue’s were all over the place, and as one source puts it, it was quite possibly the lowest point in NBA history.  Football fans however would have a great time in the 80’s.  Particularly in the AFC conference fans would satisfied as this era was the era that began AFC dominance.  Many famous quarterbacks rose in the era, most of which came from the AFC.  Football really had the sports world dominated in the era with only 2 labor strikes compared to baseball’s many.  Sports in the era did not have a very profound effect on American citizens with the exception of the 1980 Olympics.  The Miracle (as it is called today) led to many large patriotic celebrations around the country when the U.S. won with an upset against the Soviet Union.  This event was so influential because the lasting rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the past.  To see unprofessional college students take on professional soviet players and win was quite the event.
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Music

In the early 80’s much of the music that had been popular changed drastically, with the exception of some of the well known artists of the late 70’s who started to differentiate their newer music to properly fit the era.  Some main musicians in the era were Michael Jackson, who would release his thriller, Chicago, Lionel Richie, ABBA, Black Sabbath, Queen, The Police, David Bowie, and the list goes on.  Rock bands of the era tended to lean towards the brighter side when playing music when compared to the 70’s.  Van Halen for example released Jump in the year of 1984 which was much brighter sounding incorporating keyboards, electronic sounds, and lighter drums.  These types of techniques were used in the 80’s in order to pump up listeners and revolutionize music, changing it from the darker sound of the late 70’s. Not to say bands such as Van Halen didn’t hold on to their darker music.  Songs like Panama, and Eruption show that they definitely retained the hardcore qualities of their music as well to appeal to all audiences. MTV also really boomed in the 80’s giving viewers a new source of music influence, and this helped to get many people hooked on the new music.  Synthpop, an entirely new style of music was invented in the 80’s where bands used electronic sounds and strange lyrics to speak out in a more anti-corporation type of way.  Cd’s also revolutionized the way people listen to music replacing records.  The 80’s were a very influential time and carry on to influence music today

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Way We Lived"

The 80’s also revolutionized daily life through the technology it acquired.  One example would be that of common arcade games.  The main one that started it all for the 80’s would be Pac-Man.  It revolutionized games by being the very first colored video game.  It was during the 80’s video game arcades became popular hangouts and took popularity.  Also luvs disposable diapers created a new sensation differentiating the types of diapers used.  Although this may not seem very important small things like this were what completely changed life in the eighties.  The era was a time of replenishing.  It changed many common household items to make them more convenient, and as Americans we like that kind of thing.  Sports took on a new form in the form of the youth.  Young sports took a huge rise in popularity in this time as more organizations and programs arose for this kind of thing.  Lastly television played a good role in daily lives in the 80’s.  CNN took its rise in the mid 80’s and was able to keep people up to date with the news, as well as provide entertainment to viewers.  Other tv networks were rising up to become more like today.  More kids programming was also put on the air.  The 80’s really did revolutionize daily life.

 

Government & Politics

 

During this decade, use of the internet became more frequent. This Internet Age created changed the way government affairs were taken place. Political views were posted on websites, government actions and monetary transactions occurred quickly and painlessly over the computer, vital information could quickly be relayed to citizens. Also during this decade, the Cold War came to a close, but a war on terrorism rose between the United States, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The president during this decade was Ronald Reagan, serving from 1981 to 1989. During his presidency, Americans realized that they could not solely depend on its superpower status for a sense of security, due to loss of national prestige and attacks on the nation. 

Leadership

 

There were many great influental leaders in the 1980's.  But of course in this section most people would talk about the president or some government official.  One would do this however that would be overlooking one of the most influential pop culture leaders of all time.  Michael Jackson.  In the 80’s he may not have been a political leader but in culture, he had quite the following. As one source puts it his "thriller came out 1982 and rooted him into stardom," (Trager) in the 80s.  Some people say he was as influencal to the children of the 80’s as elvis was to the people of the 50s.  "His thriller album was at or near the top of the charts for 2 straight years" says another source (Freeland) Including songs such as Billie Jean, beat it, and of course the title song featuring the haunting voice of Vincent Prince.  The video for the thriller was just as influencal. People from all over were very excited simply to be wowed by his thriller.  It changed the way music was advertised for everywhere, and made him the most often showed African American on MTV.  His next album bad was just as important bringing in new listeners with songs such as the way you make me feel and man in the mirror.

 

Law &  Justice

 Many new policies and unique events occured in the law and justice topic of the 1980s.  Cocaine addiction reached very high levels, calling for the First Lady Nancy Reagan to introduce the innovative Just Say No campaign.  This campaign was a new approach to decreasing the problematic drug rates appearing in the 1980s.  It focused on teaching youth the consequences of taking drugs and also educating them on ways to handle peer pressure assoiciated with alcohol and drugs.   The campaign was very successful.  History was made when Jesse Jackson becamse the first black presidential candidate, marking a significant gain in equal African American rights.  Another first-timer for the presidential race was Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman presidential candidate.  Women made another great advance in equal rights when Sandra Day O'Connor became a Supreme Court Justice.  She was the first woman to have ever achieved this noble title.  Despite the positive advances made in law and justice in the 1980s, violent crime rates tripled since 1960.  Mass murders and serial killers, like Wayne Williams - the murder of 23 black children, were studied for behavioral patterns since their numbers increased in the 80s.  In addition, hate crimes were very frequent.  Religiously motivated hate crimes and hate crimes against homosexuals increased dramatically from 1980 to 1989. Plugin error: That plugin is not available.

 

Religion

Religion had a significant comeback in the 1980s.  Research conducted by the Gallup Organization has shown that many people who used to not go to church started going more in the 1980s.  In addition,  a rising church attendance is demonstrated throughout the 80s. But, what has caused the 80s to be the time period in which religion has an awakening? Many people claim Ronald Reagan is the reason.  Ronald Reagan was the president for 8 of the 10 years during the decade.  Being called the "Religious Right"(since many republicans are conservative Christains), the president, along with many other prominent conservative Christains such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, set an example of virturous, religious churchgoers.

 Church joiners increase in the 80s, and resigners decrease.

Ronald Reagan walks with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

 

 

Positive Political Cartoon

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  This cartoon depicts Ronald Reagan as being in close in touch with the everyday man, who is pictured to the left of Reagan with his arm around him.  It shows that Reagan cared more than just about the economy, world politics, the military, etc.  He also was deeply concerned about the welfare of his people that he governed.

 

Negative Political Cartoon

Some democrats felt that Reagan exerted too much authority as President of the United States.  They thought that he intervened too much with issues, which was not warranted by the Constitution.  So, Reagan is depicted as about to suck the blood out of the Statue of Liberty to represent the deriving of liberty and rights provided in the Constitution from the American people. 

 

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

 

The 1980s was a very unique decade.  Many new cultural, economical, and political advances have been made during this period.  Not only are these advances shaped by the effects of the Second World War, but they also reflect it.

            The most significant advances made in the ‘80s deal with culture.  Fashion, music, film and television, etc. changed and developed greatly.  By the time the second world war ended, Americans were sick of wearing bland clothes, eating bland food, and having little decoration because these materials were rationed during the war.  As a result, Americans started increasing the way they express themselves.  Fashion of the ‘80s demonstrates this increase in expression by the widespread deployment of accessories.  Many Americans during this time began wearing fashionable accessories, such as watches, bracelets, necklaces, and more.  These extra accessories demonstrate Americans’ wish to express themselves in new and innovative ways that they wouldn’t have been able to during World War II due to the material ration.  A new form of expression is also present in the music of the 1980s.  This was the time that rap music began to develop.  Rap developed an innovative way to express oneself through words and beats, forming complex rhymes and rhythms.  Formulating new ways of expression through music is another way how the 1980s was shaped by the Second World War.  Varying the forms of expression that began as a result of World War Two was also evident in the film and television of the ‘80s.  Erratic special effects, strange make up, and captivating costumes became regulars in Hollywood.  The new use of these things in a new and interesting way demonstrate the yearning for diversifying expression in the 1980s.  Overall, World War II created the demand for an increase in personal and emotional expression that is abundant throughout the 1980s.

            The way the country was governed defiantly reflects World War II politics.  During World War II, the president, Franklin D. Roosevelt held the same domestic political views that Ronald Reagan held in the 1980s.  Roosevelt dealt with the Great Depression during the ‘30s and ‘40s through government splurging to stimulate the growth of the economy and employment.  The result was digging a deep hole into the national debt.  Ronald Reagan dealt with the recession in the early 1980s through heavy spending, too.  In fact, the national debt tripled during this team.  However, Ronald Reagan succeeding in decreasing the unemployment rate and increasing the amount of money circulating through America’s industries and civilians.  This similarity in the economy between the Second World War and the 1980s exhibits the way the 1980s shaped America’s politics and government.

            Lastly, the way Americans think and act was greatly shaped by the effects of World War II.  There were many “firsts” throughout the 1980s.  Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman Supreme Court Justice.  Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman presidential candidate.  Jesse Jackson became the first presidential candidate.  These advances in tolerance and respect for minority groups is a result of World War Two.  During World War Two, women had to take on the jobs of men in politics, manufacturing, and sales.  These kinds of jobs were never handles by women before.  When the men came back, they realized that they have been discriminating against woman and other minority groups for not being able to take on their jobs, while in reality they could do the job just as well as the men.  The result was an increase in tolerance for minority groups.  This increase in tolerance is reflected by the many “firsts” found in the 1980s.  Therefore, World War Two had a great impact on the way Americans think.

            In conclusion, World War Two shaped the culture of the 1980s.  This is evident through the increase of personal expression, government policies regarding economy, and the way Americans think and act.  So, next time your looking at a Rubrix cube, a Rolex watch, or a Michael Jackson video, think about how those things probably wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for World War Two.

 

 

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