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MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events, and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?
Business & the Economy
The economy of the 1980s started out with a deep recession which raised discontent among Americans. This anger was unleashed on President Jimmy Carter and he was ousted after one term for President Ronald Reagan. This change in political power led to an optimism by the American people. Although, the recession was a bad thing, it was a blessing in disguise as the inflation eased up and the market steadily increased. The annual inflation rate remained under 5% all the way up to the 1990s. The Reagan administration also implemented many tax cuts and eliminated many regulations in the economy which brings the country back to an almost laissez-faire economy. This type of free economy was not prominent in America until before WWII where robber barons and other rich businessmen dominated the American economy. The deregulation of the economy brought the pre-WWII economy back into American life.
The American Economy was steady improving in the 1980s until Black Friday hit on October 19th, 1987. This was the record lowest drop in the stock market in a single day. As the market works as a whole global market, this dip in the market actually started in Hong Kong and spread across the globe. The Dow Jones Industrial dropped 508 points which was about 22.61% of its total value. Even though this drop was significant, Dow Jones eventually recovered to end the year on the positive. This proves that although the economy was unpredictable, it was usually a growing economy that was pretty strong in the '80s.
Education
Education of the 1980s was known for changing from equity to excellence. A more mainstream and general form of education was provided in America and this allowed the percentage of students graduating from high school to increase from 50% to 75%. People were focusing on all types of education that would help them in all fields of society rather than their community's own spectrum of what they need to know. Also, more minorities were receiving an education as they were becoming more socially accepted in America. Throughout the 1960's and 1970s, women and African-Americans were slowly assimilating into the typical American boy's childhood of education and this reached full stride in the 1980s. With the acceptance of more minorities in the education system, education became much more multi-cultural. The cause of this was probably from Americans being exposed to different cultures from World War II and post WWII times with all the negotiations. Other ethnicities and cultures were paid their dues in learning as education spanned across the globe from American history to Asian History. Education became more like what it is in the current day with a greater span of education and this also contributed to the increased graduation rates.
Fashion
Clothing styles of the 1980s were the reciprocal of what they were in the 1970s. As opposed to tight shirts and baggy pants, the ‘80s gave way to baggy shirts and tight pants. People looked to celebrities in music, film, and television to know how to create their wardrobe. Many articles of clothing we wouldn’t think of wearing today were popular in the 1980s.
Makeup was very popular among women in the 1980s, for they literally bathed their faced in it. They put so much eyeshadow, lipstick, and moisturizer that they looked like an entirely different person. To fit into slimmer, curve-hugging clothing, women exercised to the greatest extent so they could accurately fill out a gown for a party next Saturday. Also, now that women were entering the workplace in large numbers, they had to wear more formal business attire. This was achieved by emulating the style of a man, with suits and button-up shirts and blouses, but with adding a feminine touch to them.
Men, on the other hand, tried their best to look professional and to appear confident. Power suits were all the rage, as it was both affordable and fashionable. Suspenders had also made a return from the olden days, and they were very popular among older men who had already experienced the suspender-fad once before. One aspect of fashion that made many men self-conscious was the brand name - it defined your status in the world. Wearing a man on a horse playing polo, a green alligator, or a tiny flag - were all vital to the appearance of a man. Wearing clothing that didn't sport a small logo such as from Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, or L.L. Bean made other people think you were not wealthy.
The youth of America in the 1980s had tried to emulate the style of their idols - artists like Guns N' Roses, Twisted Sister, the Sex Pistols, and Michael Jackson wore clothing to their concerts that influenced the style of the young adults and children who were listening to them. Jackson's military jacket gained a lot of fame as teenagers wanted to recreate his look. Tight (skinny) jeans, leather apparel, and earrings were the clothing of choice for guys and girls. The adolescents also liked older clothing - or at least clothing that looked like it was older. Purposefully, children would rip new clothes to give them an older feel and look. The ripped jeans look came about during this time - and nowadays it costs more for a pair of jeans that are ripped than a pair of jeans that are intact. Rap and hip-hop artists showed teenagers how to dress by wearing large, baggy clothing and enormous jewelry. Bandannas and the classic sideways or backwards baseball hat became a staple to headwear of the decade and are still very popular today.
1980s fashion that didn't stay for long included: overalls, earrings that don’t match, jean jackets, trench coats, robot sunglasses, and poofy hair. People accessorized to the maximum amount and tried every way possible to express their creativity and uniqueness through dress. They wanted their own distinct styles that separated them from everyone else. Brand names were a necessity during this time, and common household brands like Ray-Ban, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren experienced profits proportional to their popularity.
Film & Theater
The 1980s was a big decade for the film industry. Many more teenagers started to go to movies beginning in the middle of the decade, due to the newlyintroduced movie rating of "PG-13", a rating that gave leeway for the teenage demographic. They would now have movies that were targeted directly at them, as opposed to younger audiences which saw movies with a rating of "PG", more mature audiences which saw movies with a rating of "R". The new rating helped fill the hole for the movies that may be too graphic for a "PG"audience or not suggestive enough for an "R" rated crowd.
Many genres of film were either introduced or continued during the '80s - this included sci-fis, thrillers, and fantasy movies, as well as dramas, horrors, and comedies. The majority of the top ten grossing movies of the decade are science fiction movies - these include blockbusters like "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Back to the Future." Other top grossing movies are sequels, including the Star Wars series and the Indiana Jones series. The Star Wars films played a big part in the success of other films, because of the new technology it had incorporated into its movies - ever since the first movie - Episode IV - in 1977, until Episodes V and VI in 1980 and 1983, respectively, they allowed the directors and producers of other movies to be very creative in the way they shot their films.
Food & Drink
The '80s saw McDonald’s release the McD.L.T. (McDonald’s Lettuce and Tomato), a huge hit among consumers, but later discontinued and rereleased as the Big N’ Tasty. Also, snack foods were all the rage in the 1980s, something that you could carry around in your hand as a package or a bag was essential to the fashion trends of the time. Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot were mass marketed in the 1980s as portable, fruit-flavored snacks that also had a little bit of fun associated with them, having the user unroll the food from the packaging, as well as looking at funny messages and pictures on it. Popcorn took a huge step forward in 1981 as it was given microwaveable packaging and enabled consumers to enjoy it from the convenience of their own homes. Food from the 1980s has undergone many changes to end up where it is today. Only the popular foods lived on, because the companies need strong sales to keep supporting a product – somewhat like a survival of the fittest.
Coca-Cola released some of its staple variations on its popular cola drink in the 1980s. These included both diet, caffeine-free, and cherry flavors. Though the company was founded before the turn of the 20th century, it had stayed with one successful product until now – the simple cola. Though it was unsure how the public would react to new flavors, the company's new business ventures proved to be beneficial as the years went by, with even more flavors and them taking the majority of the market. Other popular drinks like Capri Sun and Red Bull were created in the 1980s and are still a big hit among consumers.
Print Culture
The 1980s in print was a time of continuity. Magazines and newspapers created in the 1970s and earlier were continued in the 1980s and beyond. However, when new inventions came about, and new fields of thought, there was most likely a magazine for it. This is evident with the genre of video gaming, where magazines like Nintendo Power and GamePro came about in the latter section of the decade to help gamers get past difficult levels, use cheat codes to dominate the game, and advertise new products and games, as the popularity of video games increased. The trend of magazines with new inventions was also seen with hardware and software being developed by Microsoft and Apple, which led to magazines such as PC World (1983) and Macworld (1984). The first issue of Vanity Fair was released in 1983, and it became very popular as people looked to it to determine how they would act and dress when out in public. Another magazine like Vanity Fair first published in the 1980s was Elle, another fashion magazine which started publishing in 1985. World magazine was first circulated in 1986, with a very similar look to TIME magazine, but it is about Christian news. Though books and novels had been published, none had really been classified as classics, though the bestsellers included The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Color Purple by Alice Walker (which has been remade into a play by Oprah Winfrey). Stephen King was also a popular author of the 1980s. The printed material during the 1980s helped people communicate with both friends and family, as well as society as they could interact about things in popular culture as found in magazines, books, and newspapers.
Sports & Games
The 1980's was one of the greatest era's in basketball with a rivalry between two teams that took over the sports world. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the 80s era sharing most of the NBA championships of that time between themselves. This was the prime eras of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as well as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy. Another noteworthy NBA team of that time is Julius Erving of Dr. J of the Philadelphia 76ers. His success made him one of the most prominent figures in basketball history. The 1980's also were the developing years of someone that everyone in the sports world knows and truly admires. This would be the great Michael Jordan who emerged in the mid 80's and dazzled the crowd.
The Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York during the 1980 year of the Olympics. More than 1200 athletes attended this event from over 37 countries and Russia/Soviet Union won 10 gold medals which was the highest at that time. The Olympics were held between between February 12th and February 24th. These Olympic Games were especially significant as this the year that USA Hockey won "The Miracle on Ice". Under the leadership of coach Herb Brooks, the USA stunned many teams like the Russians and the Finnish squad to rally a bunch of amateur and college players to win the gold medal. The US beat the heavily favored Russians to win 4-3 and make this the most significant hockey game of the century.
The 1980s were also dominated by another era of gaming, which was a stepping stone into our current video game addiction in society. This would be the creation Nintendo Entertainment System or, the NES. This system was released in Japan on July 15th, 1983 and in America on October 18th, 1985. The hype for this system was so great that it caused Nintendo to create a follow up system known as the Super Nintendo Entertainment which took the 8-bit NES and upgraded it to a 16-bit system. Eventually this led to a great era of Nintendo, starting a line of game systems that revolutionized the entertainment world forever. This all started with the 1980s creation of the NES which spurred the growth in that industry. The 16-bit SNES eventually upgraded to a 32-bit system which allowed the creation of 3D gameplay. Nintendo took this creation to the next level and created the portable, handheld Game Boy which took the 8-bit NES and put in the palm of the user's hand. This revolutionary technology created by Nintendo, and later, other corporations as well, allowed the start of a change in entertainment from physical to virtual which was very uncommon until the late 20th century.
The computer screen on which you are viewing this wiki was not as high-tech and powerful as it is now. The computers that gave life to the entire industry of personal computing were powerful for their time – but also expensive. While Bill Gates of Microsoft was trying to create the Windows software that would revolutionize computers worldwide, Steve Jobs of Apple Corporation wanted to create both software and hardware that could run seamlessly with each other. With new technologies being released, the computer could be upgraded to incorporate new things like applications and games. People soon realized the personal computer became a part of their own home and they used it for everyday tasks and computing. Though computers like the Commodore 64, the best-selling computer in history, used to be massive, bulky machines, they soon developed into the compact, lightweight machines you use today to get onto Google and Facebook.
Music
The 1980s gave rise to popular music genres like pop, R&B, hip-hop, country, punk, alternative rock, hard rock, and heavy metal. As each one was introduced, they suddenly went mainstream, and everyone started listening to them. These artists included Madonna, Michael Jackson, Run D.M.C., the Beastie Boys, Garth Brooks, Green Day, R.E.M, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, and Metallica. Most, if not all of these were influenced by earlier artists, like Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, and Iron Maiden. These genres and artists soon allowed newer bands like grunge rock powerhouses Nirvana and Pearl Jam to come forth, as well as others like the Foo Fighters and blink-182. Music was a very vital part to the 1980s as it was the start for some of the current modern artists of our time. This is the place they looked back at to find the styles they wanted to use. Mainstream hip-hop and rap originated in the 1980s, when the first artists rose up. Hard rock and heavy metal digressed into softer, smoother, more soothing tones. Though it is said that all music started from one place, that one place branched out into many different places - and many of those places landed in the '80s. The songs of the 80s may seem weird now, but just know that all of the music we listen to today evolved from the music back then.
Artist of the Decade Michael Jackson's music video for his smash hit "Thriller" combined the aspects of music with the film industry, creating a 14-minute video, longer than an average music video, almost like an original short film. It is arguably the greatest one ever, as some critics state. This music video was the cornerstone of the concept. After this video, many more artists started to create their own unique videos featuring their hit songs, and the music video business was born.
Michael Jackson's Thriller
"The Way We Lived"
The lives of the 1980s was a pretty conservative lifestyle due to the fact that the political regime was a Republican regime that brought back Conservative policies. With Reagan in office, came a complete remodeling of the American people from a liberal country interested in foreign affairs to a more conservative country interested in themselves. With the eighties being more of a domestic policy oriented era, self interest dominated the country. The community theme was diminishing in the 1980s and families were more concerned about themselves in a "dog-eat-dog" world. AT&T and Bell communications became popular during this decade with the home phone communications becoming more prominent in everyday lives. Bell Communications would later be called Verizon Wireless in the 21st century so this company was rapidly gaining power. With the tax cuts from the Reaganomic government, companies took advantage to advance and take more risks than usual with normal taxes.
Drugs and AIDS were also pretty big in the 1980s. The Mexican Drug cartels were gaining popularity in the south and cocaine usage affected many Americans. AIDS was prominent with the apparent increase in homosexual couples engaging in sexual intercourse as well as the already rising population of straight couples having sex. This disease was also contracted from cocaine and other drug users sharing needles which would also be a factor in contracting AIDS. Religious officials even blamed the increase of AIDS as God's way of punishing homosexuals. This tension among the country led to an even further feeling of isolation among families and lack of the community theme. This defect in society also led to an increase in child homelessness with no one really caring for them. Child abuse also increased making the 1980s a pretty bad decade for children.
Government & Politics
The government of the 1980s saw the end of a Democratic Regime that was spending much of its time in Vietnam. The Republican Party took over and started thinking of issues back at home. Ronald Reagan succeeded a very unsuccessful Jimmy Carter as President and became known as one of the greatest Republican presidents of all time. His strong support as well as his reputation as a great spokesperson made him a great president for the people. During Reagan's time, the US and USSR tried to reach peace and have some sort of compromise. Reagan and Soviet Leader Gorbachev met and actually reached a common goal of fighting a war against all forms of terrorism. Reagan held his word and led troops to Libya in 1986 where they bombed Libya in Operation El Dorado Canyon. Libya was suspected of attacking American troops in West Germany which prompted Reagan's actions. Reagan's domestic policy mainly consisted of Reaganomics which was Reagan's form of Federalism in the country. The government administered the largest tax cuts in American History under Reagan and really discouraged government dependency. Reagan encouraged the building up of the private sector in America and really criticized the public sector for making the American people too dependent. Along with stimulating a more laissez-faire and capitalistic government, the Reagan administration was also very serious on the War on Drugs. Reagan started more militant policies to counteract the drug cartels in Mexico and Southern US. His wife, Nancy Reagan also started the "Just Say No" program which raised awareness for saying no to drugs. Reagan also appointed Sandra Day O' Connor to the Supreme Court which made her the first female Supreme Court Justice in America. Reagan was eventually succeeded by his Vice President George H.W Bush who continued his type of policies.
Leadership
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Law & Justice
There were various federal cases and adjustments to the law in the 1980's with the US accepting patents on living organisms, US declaring pacts on various issues such as declaring war on Terrorism. One big issue of the 80s was espionage in the CIA. Espionage was a huge issue with the American Hostility towards the Soviet Union and this escalated during the capture of the Walker Spy Ring. This was the capture of John A. Walker Jr, his brother Arthur J. Walker, his son, Michael J. Walker, and his friend Jerry A. Whitworth. These four supplied Soviets with valuable information as well as US Data codes that allowed the Soviets to decipher US Navy intelligence. The CIA found this and charged the four with espionage with a sentence of life in prison. From this point, the CIA was very paranoid about the people working under their intelligence but also led to many blunders by the CIA in the later decades. This paranoia of communism from post-WWII communism led to various anti-Soviet activities by the CIA and the espionage investigations were an example of this.
Religion
The 1960's and 1970's were periods of great divides among the major religions as this was the period after the Munich Olympics of 1972 where there was hostility between Palestinian Islamic people and the Jewish People of Israel. After this period of hostility, the 80s were a period of the religions refocusing back on their own structures. Internal conflicts emerged within religions from this refocusing. The Christian religion had a small split within sects as the division between religious conservatives and religious liberals became distinct. The Protestant sect of Christianity was declining during the 1980s and about 3 of 10 or 31% of Americans claimed that they were evangelical who were "re-born" Christians. The rise of Conservative Christianity created a different mindset of Christians in America and Christianity again took over the nation. Another big event of this time was the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II who was one of the most liberal popes of all time and the most accommodating popes. This attempted assassination shows that the world is not enjoying the compromising leaders that emerged after WWII.
Positive Political Cartoon
The Reagan Campaign received a lot of media coverage due to Reagan already being quite popular in the Hollywood industry. This popularity and connection to the Hollywood Industry tempted other presidential candidates to target him. This backfired as Reagan was able to increase his popularity from others mentioning him. This particular cartoon is from Reagan's name being mentioned in the GOP debates for the primaries.
Negative Political Cartoon
The Reagan government was torn between hard Republicans and the rest of the United States on what to do foreign policy wise. Reagan was preparing for the Geneva Conference on November 19, 1985 and the Radical Republicans wanted him to create another war if it means getting what America wants. The rest of the United States told him that its OK to not get everything that he wants from that conference as well as he can make a compromise. Reagan was confused on what to do since the Radical Republican position is pretty bad for America's image.
MYP Unit Question: How did culture, events, and leadership shape and reflect post-WWII America?
The culture of the 1980s was much different from that of pre-WWII times in many ways. First of all, America was not as interactive with the Globe as it was in the 1980s. Although fiber optic communications were in place in pre-WWII times, the landline calls from home were not as popular as it was in the 1980s. AT&T and Bell Communications took phone service to the next level and established a common landline service all over the globe. Another thing that changed in American culture was the change in music tastes. Pre-WWII music involved traditional orchestral and band instruments with the trombones, trumpets, saxophones, and clarinets. The 1980s used a new generation of instruments such as electric guitars, synthesizers, 5-piece drum sets, and the use of amplifiers and whammy bars in music. Food was also a big change in culture in Post-WWII culture. In the pre-WWII era, an ideal dinner would consist of family dinner cooked by good old mom. 1980s had the luxury of having golden arches planted across the country. McDonalds and its McDLT burger became the typical dinner of Americans. This drastic change also led to advancement in medicine with the pharmaceutical department taking great leaps. All in all, culture in post-WWII era was much more technologically advanced then pre-WWII culture.
The events of the 1980s were much more oriented towards fighting communism than in Pre-WWII where the goal was to defeat the Nazis and the threat of dictators. The 1980s especially had events such as Reagan and Gorbachev attending the Geneva to defeat terrorism. Other events such as the Challenger explosion and the Chernobyl disaster showed that post –WWII events were more focused on technology advancement than starting wars.
Pre-WWII presidents were usually totally focused getting America involved in the world and allowing young America to be exposed and appreciated by the outside world. The leaders consisted of lawyers, some war veterans, and common citizens. The 1980s had two significant presidents in its time which were Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. Reagan was an actor, governor, and Republican spokesperson while George HW Bush was a congressman and UN ambassador. The backgrounds of the leaders are very different than those from Pre-WWII era. This allowed for a change in their styles of leadership as post-WWII leaders were much more diplomatic. This was the big difference between pre-WWII leaders and post-WWII leaders.
Works Cited
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