A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE, A CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE, 1969-19801969-1980

America: Past and PresentChapter 31

Nixon in PowerNixon in Power• Apparent success in first term • Triumphs in foreign affairs• Nixon cuts himself off from Congress,

his own cabinet, and the nation

Reshaping the Great Reshaping the Great SocietySociety

• Nixon and the Great Society• more efficient administration• shift responsibility to the states• shift school desegregation to the courts

• Shift to conservative Supreme Court• appointment of conservatives and

moderates• Burger Court similar to Warren Court

• Pace of change slows but continues

NixonomicsNixonomics• Nixon and inflation

• inflation spurred by Vietnam • federal spending cuts• interest rates forced up

• 1970--Nixon-induced recession • 1971--wage and price controls• Economy revives

Building a Republican Building a Republican MajorityMajority

• Nixon obsessed about reelection • Inactive on desegregation to win South • Attack cultural revolution to win “middle

America”• Democrats retain majority by joining

crusade against drugs, crime

In Search of DIn Search of Déétentetente• Foreign-policy assumptions

• Cold War to be managed, not won• America must make a strategic retreat• improve relations with China to neutralize

Russia• February 1972--Nixon visits China

In Search of DIn Search of Déétente:tente:Outcome of China VisitOutcome of China Visit

• February 1972--U.S. recognition of Communist China set in motion

• May 1972--Russians sign SALT I• Apparent mutual desire to reduce Cold

War tensions

Ending the Vietnam WarEnding the Vietnam War• Nixon’s plan

• gradual reduction of American troops• intensify American bombing • hard line at the peace talks

• 1970--invasion of Cambodia• January, 1973--peace talks conclude

with disguised American surrender

The Crisis of DemocracyThe Crisis of Democracy• June, 1972--Nixon agents arrested for

attempted Watergate break-in• Nixon stonewalled the press about

White House involvement• even instructed aides to lie under oath

The Election of 1972The Election of 1972• Nixon’s opponents

• American Independent George Wallace--shot and disabled, followers vote for Nixon

• Democrat George McGovern--nomination alienates middle class

• Nixon landslide suggests new alignment• middle class shifting to Republicans• African Americans, Jews, the poor remain

strongly Democratic

The Watergate ScandalThe Watergate Scandal• Summer 1973--Senate investigation

• damaging Senate hearings on cover-up• White House tapes discovered

• Summer 1974• Nixon must relinquish tapes• House Judiciary committee recommends

impeachment • August 9, 1974--Nixon resigns

The Watergate Scandal: The Watergate Scandal: ConsequencesConsequences

• Demonstrates growing power of the executive branch

• Illustrates vitality of institutions• the press• the federal judiciary• Congress

Energy and the Energy and the EconomyEconomy

• U.S. way of life based on cheap energy• 1970s energy crisis sparks inflation

The October WarThe October War• October, 1973--Yom Kippur War pits

Egypt, Syria against Israel• U.S. supplies weapons to Israel • Arab oil nations retaliate with boycott

• prices of gasoline and home heating fuel rose sharply

The Oil ShocksThe Oil Shocks• Effects of soaring oil prices

• consumer spending plunges• recession by 1974• inflation persists through 1970s

• Tax cut aids recovery• 1979--Iranian Revolution causes

second surge in oil prices

The Oil Shocks: Price Increases The Oil Shocks: Price Increases of Crude Oil and Gasoline, of Crude Oil and Gasoline, 1973-19851973-1985

The Search for an The Search for an Energy PolicyEnergy Policy

• Ford tries to encourage production• Carter tries to encourage conservation• Congressional legislation to

• encourage production, e.g. Alaska pipeline• encourage conservation, e.g. gas rationing

• Energy problem persists

The Great InflationThe Great Inflation• Oil prices drive inflation

• price of goods soars• real income declines

• Attempted government controls result in record high interest rates

The Shifting American The Shifting American EconomyEconomy

• U.S. share of world markets declines• U.S. heavy industry declines• High technology prospers• Businesses tend to diversify

Private Lives—Public Private Lives—Public IssuesIssues

• Traditional American family gives way to more diverse living arrangements

• Number of working women increases sharply

• Gay rights movement emerges

The Changing American The Changing American Family: Family Life by Family: Family Life by 19901990

• 21% of women solely in childrearing• 30% of married coupes without children• 25% of households consist of one adult• Birthrate begins to climb after 15-year

fall• Divorce rate levels and drops slightly

The Changing American The Changing American Family: New Family Family: New Family StructureStructure

• Many never marry or postpone marriage• Most mothers work outside the home• Proportion of single-parent households

doubled• Women without partners head 1/3 of

impoverished families • Children comprise 40% of the poor

Types of Households in Types of Households in the United States, 2000the United States, 2000

Gains and Setbacks for Gains and Setbacks for WomenWomen

• Rapid movement of women into work force• Breakthroughs for women

• leaders in industry, higher education• Roe v. Wade strengthens reproductive rights• women appointed to Supreme Court

• Resistance• most women remain in female-dominated jobs• wages only 77.5% of men’s earnings• Equal Rights Amendment fails • abortion widely stigmatized

Voting on the Equal Rights Voting on the Equal Rights AmendmentAmendment

The Gay Liberation The Gay Liberation MovementMovement

• 1969--Stonewall Riot sparks gay rights movement• 1980--Democrats include gay rights plank• 1980s--AIDS activism• 1987--600,000 march on Washington• 1993--“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy a setback• 1996--Defense of Marriage Act prohibits state

recognition of same-sex unions• 2000--Vermont legalizes same-sex “civil unions”

Politics After WatergatePolitics After Watergate• Watergate erodes public trust• Confrontation leaves nation leaderless

The Ford AdministrationThe Ford Administration• Pardon of Nixon unpopular• Democratic Congress alienated

• disclosure of illegal CIA activities under Kennedy and Johnson

• opposes Democratic bills protecting the environment and civil rights

The 1976 CampaignThe 1976 Campaign• Ford damaged by Watergate• Democrat Jimmy Carter wins close vote

• former governor of Georgia• campaigns as outsider• calls for decency, morality in government

Disenchantment with Disenchantment with CarterCarter

• Carter displays lack of political vision• Outsider status hampers effectiveness• 1979--Carter blames American people

for "national malaise"

From Détente to From Détente to Renewed Cold WarRenewed Cold War

• U.S. international dominance declined sharply in the 1970s

• Internal and external events weakened foreign policy

Retreat in AsiaRetreat in Asia• April 1975--North Vietnam captures

Saigon• U.S. response--evacuation, no aid • Subsequent incidents met with caution,

restraint

Accommodation in Latin Accommodation in Latin AmericaAmerica

• 1977--treaty returns Panama Canal to Panama

• 1979--U.S. refuses aid to Nicaraguan government against Sandinistas

• Carter assists El Salvador against Marxist rebels

The Quest for Peace in The Quest for Peace in the Middle Eastthe Middle East

• Carter’s success• 1978--Camp David Accords • 1979--Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty

• Carter’s failure• 1979--Iranian Revolution • November--U.S. embassy in Teheran

invaded, 58 Americans taken hostage• Carter fails to secure hostages’ release

The Cold War ResumesThe Cold War Resumes• Carter, Brzezinski shift from Détente

• condemn Soviet human rights abuses• new missile systems deployed• increased aid to China

• December, 1979--Russians invade Afghanistan

A Failed PresidencyA Failed Presidency• Carter lost public confidence during the

Iranian hostage crisis• Double-digit inflation also contributed to

voter disappointment