Lissa Mann

Nivedita Nagaraj

Brianna Schwarcz

Witek Fuchs

Ahmad Zunnu Rain

 

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

 

 The Electric Eighties

 

     

 

"Don't be afraid to see what you see." - Ronald Reagan

 

Business & the Economy

by Lissa Mann

 

     Upon entering office, Ronald Reagan faced economic turmoil surrounding the states. In 1981 and 1982 “Reaganonmics” took effect, as republicans cut taxes and the American budget. Reagan’s theory said that if taxes were cut, Americans would have more disposable income. Extra funds would increase investments; additional investments would promote work by investments in machinery, factories, and products, creating a greater demand for workers. Profits would allow for more taxes to be paid yet at the same time the demand for goods and services would increase, and the cycle would repeat. 

 

 

     Reagan’s second term followed similar policies, yet different results. The reduced revenue from taxes did not balance the federal aid program costs, and the federal budget went into deficit, leaving Reagan with few choices. Federal aid programs were cut, but congress refused to cut the budget. Cuts affected the poor children – school meals, education, support for single parents, aid to mortgage payments. However, the cuts were not sufficient in decreasing the budget deficit, and it only continued to grow.

 

 

     Nineteen eighty-one brought a high inflation rate, and growing unemployment rate. By 1984 oil prices were lowered and inflation was at its lowest rate, while the unemployment rate sat at a respectable 7%. New corporations arose, including Starbucks, J.Crew, IBM, and HSN (Home Shopping Network). Large corporations grew to power, and still retain economic presence today.

 

"I'm not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself." - Ronald Reagan

 

 

Education

by Brianna Schwarcz

 

     In decades prior to the 1980's, education for all was a battle. These fights raged over equal education and many Americans that had been excluded in the past started to become mainstream. The percentage of Americans graduating rose from 50 percent in the 1950's, to 75% in the 1980's. However, the overriding concern during this time was the quality of education. There were still protests about rising student costs and budget cuts. School administators payed teachers higher salaries to teach better and efforts to censor books tripled during the 80's.

     Despite these arguments and criticism, America used to have an extremely discriminated view on blacks, immigrants, and people of ethnicities other than white. In the 1980’s, a more multicultural education came about and Blacks, immigrants, and other ethnicities were getting there turn in an education. Even the last all-men ivy league school opened their program to women. As the 1980’s flowed into the last decade of the 20^th century, education was more multicultural than ever.

 

"Facts are stubborn things." - Ronald Reagan

 

 Fashion

by Brianna Schwarcz

 

 

     In the 1980’s, fashion started to move away from the conservative look of the previous decades. It started changing in ways that reflected people’s opinions and ideas. Common hairstyles for women during the 80’s were

teased hair, shiny blonde hair, stick-up bangs, crimped hair, and side ponytails. For men, it was long hair, frizzy hair, curly hair, and more. Piercings, rainbow makeup, eye shadow, ray-bans, and glasses were popular in both men and women. Mini-skirts, crop tops, sleeveless shirts, leather, off-shoulder shirts, and more were starting to become a huge hit in the young generation.

 

     Madonna’s hit song, Like a Virgin, became the match that lit the fashion rave. She was titled the “Material Girl” and many young girls wanted to mimic her fashion statement. In work places, shoulder pads remained popular because women wanted to “power dress” to keep up with the men. Aerobics were popular and that caused leg warmers and leotards to come into style. This decade of fashion led the 20^th century to a close through the 90’s. As the fashion slowly began to decline, the 80’s will always be remembered for its different and bright fashion styles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Film and theater

(Witek)

 

     Movies in the 1980’s had become a form of entertainment rather than a way to inform people or ways to spread the news. The most popular form of movie, therefore, was the ‘blockbuster’, or a movie whose plot could be summarized in one or two sentences. Many of these movies are still popular today such as the ever popular Star Wars series, which released two episodes in the 1980’s. Another very popular series was the Indiana Jones series, which also came out with a lot of movies during the 1980’s. One of the most popular movies of all time also came out in the 80’s, ET, the Extraterrestrial. Many of the movies that came out in the 80’s included something supernatural which was most likely influenced by mankind’s continued exploration of space.

 

 

 

"How can a president not be an actor?" - Ronald Reagan

 

Food &  Drink

by Nivedita Nagaraj

 

     Many popular foods and drinks that are enjoyed today were created in the 1980s. Fast food revolutionized America as McDonald’s became increasingly popular and Pizza Hut made their big entrance in 1958. In addition, one of the most popular soft drinks in the world came out in a slightly different form in 1985 called Classic Cola. This was Coca-cola produced in glass bottles instead of the aluminum cans and plastic bottles that we use today. Snacks such as microwave popcorn, cool ranch Doritos, California raisins, Apple jacks, Capri sun, and Corn Pops made their big debut during the 1980s.  Also, new candy was mass produced and many are still popular today such as Tootsie Rolls, Nerds, Jaw Breakers, Fun Dip, Gushers, and Jolly ranchers. Some older drinks and candies include Jolt Cola (twice the caffeine of regular cola), Big League chew, and Orange Julius.

 

"You can tell alot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans." - Ronald Reagan 
 

Print Culture

by Nivedita Nagaraj

 

     America was definitely reading during this decade. The eighties was a very controversial period in American History also known as the Reagan era. Writers of this time period delved into witty satire, greed, thoughtful narratives, and candid realism.  Scott Turow was a famous author during this time period and wrote many popular legal thrillers. In addition, Stephen King wrote many contemporary horrors, fantasy, and science fiction that were on the top of the best sellers list during the 80s. Many experimental writers arose during this time period including Alice Walker, the author of The Color of Purple, this novel reflected the struggles that continue to remain in the black society.  Slowly human drams began to take the place of realist novels.

 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

 

 

Sports &  Games

by Ahmad Zunnu Rain

 

     During the decade of the 1980s, the people of the United States enjoyed watching all sports ranging from basketball to hockey. This was one of the most successful as well as talented decade for all sports.

 

Basketball:

 

     The 80’s were the decade of “The Old,” “The New,” and “The Great.” This decade was the beginning of a new era as well as an era that was predominantly dominated by the older players of the time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics were the “Big Three” of the 1980s. Everyone watched when these three players squared off in the NBA Finals. These three players along with others such as Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, and Patrick Ewing are known as the basketball legends.

 

                                

 

     However, this decade was not only one of the older players, but one of a new generation of athletes such as Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and the great Michael Jordan. These three were only a few of the great ‘new’ players to enter the NBA in the 1980s. However, they did not dominate until the early 90’s.

 

                                              

 

     During this decade, alone, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics combined for eight NBA Championships together.

 

 

Hockey:

 

     During the 80’s the greatest hockey player of all time took his first skates on the ice, Wayne Gretzky. He was one of the most athletic as well as physical player to ever play the sport. He was one of the players to score the most number of goals in the entire league.

 

 

 

     Other hockey players such as Paul Coffey, Mike Bossy, and Jari Kurri controlled this era with their extraordinary plays of hockey during this decade. The great partnership of Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Paul Coffey won four Stanly Cup Finals in this decade alone for the Edmonton Oilers.

 

Football:

 

     In the 1980s the sport of football was controlled by the majority of quarterbacks, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Terry Bradshaw. Additionally, during this time, there were many other great players like Jerry Rice, who holds the most catches and yards in the NFL till this day. There were also other players such as Walter Payton who deserve recognition for being one of the best players of his time.

 

     The San Francisco 79ers were the best team during this time period, because they won the Super Bowl three times in this decade with the great players Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

 

Olympics:

 

1980

 

     The United States did not participate in this Olympics because it was in Moscow, USSR and since there was the Cold War between the United States and USSR, the United States decided not to participate in this Olympics.

 

     However, the United States did participate in the Winter Olympics and somehow defeated the Soviet Union national team, which was considered the best ice hockey team in the world. The United States had an amateur team who defeated the Soviets by one goal 4-3 in an upset. This game is now known as “Miracle on Ice.”

 

1984

 

     This Olympics was in Los Angeles, California. Here in this Olympics the track and field runner, Carl Lewis made his first appearances in the Olympics and here he dominated in the 100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m, and the Long Jump and won all gold. He tied Jesse Owens record set in 1936.

 

     The United States won gold in basketball as well with the team with Michael Jordan.

 

     The US men also won gold in the all-round team gymnastics. The US women won silver in the all-round team gymnastics.

 

     They managed to get the most gold medals as well as the most number of gold medals overall with 83. The United States had 615 members participating in this Olympics at Los Angeles.

 

1988

 

The 1988 Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea. It was during this Olympics that the favorite American boxer, Roy Jones Jr. lost to the controversial gold medal to South Korean fighter, Park Si-Hun. However, allegations swirled against the South Koreans stating that they had fixed the judging. Jones Jr. still won the Val Barker Trophy, which is awarded to the most impressive boxer at the Games.

 

US diver Greg Louganis won back-to-back titles in men’s diving.

 

This Olympic Games was not one that the United States had excelled in. They only won 36 gold medals even with 615 athletes participating again.

 

 

 

 

 

Music 

by Lissa Mann

 

 

     By the late 1980s the compact disc, now known as the CD, completely replaced the vinyl record. Music was easily coded onto a four and a half inch disc, creating ease of listening and innovation. The eighties also brought innovation to genres of music – a hip-hop revolution. Hip-hop in the eighties gave the poor and disadvantaged a voice. The popular group, Run DMC, put hip-hop on the charts with their hits: “Walk This Way”, “It’s Like That” and “Tricky”.  

 

 

 

     In contrast to hip-hop, heavy metal and punk music grew in popularity, taking MTV (Music Television) by storm. Yet, critics believed that metal had an “evil influence” on children. Parents opposed the music, but the loyal fan base of the music led metal into the 1990s. Mixing the elements of hip-hop and metal, grew pop music. Generating a large fan base, artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson rose to superstar status. The creation of the music video allowed pop artists to gain popularity with theatrics, fashion, and dance moves like no one had seen before. 

 

See music evolve in this video, with hits from Madonna, Guns & Roses, and Michael Jackson.   

 

 

 

The Billboard Chart celebrated the most popular songs of the year - showcasing the diversity in music of the 1980s.

 

                 

 

"Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music." - Ronald Reagan

 

"The Way We Lived"

by Nivedita Nagaraj

 

      The 1980s spawned a new generation of status seekers. Life often revolved around money and shopping became a way of life. Television played a huge role in the 1980s as it became standard in most American households. MTV was introduced and music soon became part of many people’s daily lives. Stars such as Michael Jackson and Madonna rose to the front stages of entertainment. Additionally, TV channels such as Nickelodeon kept the children busy and CNN kept adults informed about the news.  

 

     In addition, team sports became popular for kids causing the mothers to become “soccer moms” after work.  Women played very active roles in the community as mothers, wives, and workers. The men continued to be active laborers and managed the household finances.  Also in this decade, the personal computer was introduced and Americans were able to manage their personal finances and run businesses. Technology played a key role in this decade as people were adapting to new changes and developing a higher class society.

 

 

 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

 

 

 

"My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out." - Ronald Reagan 
 

 

Government & Politics

By: Witek Fuchs 

 

     The 1980’s were definitely a time of great change for the US, as the economy suffered and the Cold War was spiraling to an end, the leaders of America had to prove themselves worthy.  Ronald Reagan’s policy to help bring the US out of a recession was known as “Reaganomics”.  Ronald Reagan’s policies helped bring the US out of the recession, but he failed to pass some bills that some people feel even today would be important to society, such as the ERA, or the Equal Rights Amendment, which states that no right shall be denied on account of sex, which failed to pass under Reagan in 1983. A problem that Reagan had to face during his presidency was that the Republicans lost control of the Senate during Reagan’s term in office. This could have complicated things for him because, since Reagan ran as a Republican, many people would oppose him just for that reason.

 

 

     One more problem that Reagan faced was that he was almost killed in his second year as president, after the failed assassination attempt, his popularity increased dramatically, which helped him win his second election. Many changes were happening during the 80’s, and in 1988, Bush Sr. was elected president, and only one year later, the Berlin Wall was pulled down and Communism began to fade.

 

 

 

Leadership

By:Witek Fuchs 

 

     The 1980’s were the decade when Ronald Reagan reigned, and when the Cold War escalated to include space, even though mankind had just started exploring it. Reagan’s wife also fought a war; she had started the war on drugs because of the increasing availability of cocaine. She started the motto “Just Say No”, which has remained popular up to modern times. The leadership of the 80’s definitely shaped how people saw those times, it was the time when the Soviet Union (USSR) was beginning to fail, it was the time when the space program restarted after the recent disaster.

 

     Another person who influenced how people thought was England’s princess Diana, who helped spread humanitarianism through the world, and her efforts are still seen around the world today. Mainly, however, it was Ronald Reagan who affected the mood of the American people, whether they loved him or hated him; few people decided he was not good enough to be President. He started the very short War in Grenada, he ordered the bombing of Libya, and he continued the war against Communism and drugs. All of these things affected the mindset of the American People.

 

 

 

 

Law &  Justice

 It was during the 20s that the US...

 

 

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." - Ronald Reagan
 

 

Religion

Church attendance had declined ...

 

 

 

 

Positive Political Cartoon

 

  

 

 

Negative Political Cartoon

 

 

 

"One picture is worth 1,000 denials." - Ronald Reagan 

 

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

by Lissa Mann

 

 

Yes, this is the most important question of this project.  At LEAST 3 paragraphs are needed.  See your teacher if you need more direction.

 

 

Works Cited

 

Berg, Timothy. "Compact Disc." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1136-1137. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

Berg, Timothy. "Heavy Metal." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1139-1141. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

"Chart 1". (Online Image). Web. June 4 2010.

 

Edelman, Rob. "Starbucks." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1110-1111. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

Gianoulis, Tina. "Home Shopping Network." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1106-1107. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

Gianoulis, Tina. "Rap and Hip-Hop." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1149-1150. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010. 

 

Pendergast, Sara. "J.Crew." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1109. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

Pennington, Joanne de. Modern America: The USA, 1865 to the Present. London: Hodder Murray, 2005.

 

Routledge, Chris. "IBM." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1107-1109. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

Schnakenberg, Robert E. "Run-DMC." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 5: 1980s-1990s. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 1151-1152. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 June 2010.

 

  "Pop-Music Stars (1980s)." American Decades CD-ROM. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/

"Culture Wars in the 1980s." DISCovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/

 

"Literary Stars of the 1980s." DISCovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/

 

"Social Trends in the 1980s: Overview." DISCovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/