 What would you do if there were an energy crisis today? How would you save energy? What would be affected?

 Nixon and the 70’s

Nixon and the 1968 Election  Appealed to the “Silent Majority”  Ex. Students and nondemonstrators who disliked the protesting of the 1960s but never voiced it  Southern Strategy  Republican attempt to win the support of white Southern Democrats and civil rights opponents

Nixon and the Economy  Stagflation  A period of high inflation and unemployment  3 causes?

3 causes of Stagflation:  1. The cost of Vietnam War  2. Paying interest on the National Debt  3. American manufactures faced stronger foreign competition

1970s American Cars

American Cars

Foreign Cars of the 1970s

Foreign Cars

OPEC  Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela)  Two goals…. 1. Control oil production (to keep prices high) 2. Use its power to influence international politics  Egypt and Syria attack Israel on Yom Kippur  Yom Kippur along with Rosh Hashanah are Judaism’s “High Holy Days”. It is believed that on Yom Kippur God decides each persons fate, so Jews are encouraged to make amends and ask for forgiveness for sins they have committed.  U.S. supported Israel (OPEC supports Egypt and Syria)  Oil embargoes were placed on U.S.  Energy Crisis begins

The crisis rolled on through the summer. Irrationality set in. All over the country, people wasted gallons of gas waiting in line for the gas they were afraid wouldn’t be there the next week. The crisis was the only news story anyone cared about. A protest outside Philadelphia turned violent. People stood guard beside their cars at night against thieves who siphoned out fuel. A board game came out called Gas Crisis, in which players had Large Cars or Small Cars and moved the action along with cards like “Oil Sheik” and “Walked to Work.” Everyone was on edge, trying to save a buck and alert to anyone else trying to cut a corner. One day — I don’t remember if it was an odd or even one — a delivery truck was refilling our tanks, and the line of cars extended down the block. I chatted with the driver as he pumped the gas. He finished and relocked the metal hatch that protected the tanks from theft and left. Finally I re-opened the pumps for the impatient customers. I was six people deep at the register, eating stale salted cashews from the nut bins behind the fingerprint-smudged glass cover, when people began to shout. Outside the window, I saw the cars of our most recent customers stopped in the middle of the street, doors ajar like the wings of dead beetles. Other cars had made it further, almost reaching the freeway on-ramp, before stopping. The drivers started running toward the station, yelling. The bat was beside me. Florencio was gone. “You sold us water!” one guy screamed at the window. Either the delivery-truck driver had stolen the unleaded from his own tanker, or someone had given him water in the first place.

Energy Crisis Recently  It is April 2013 – the beginning of the summer travel season in the U.S. Despite the effort of the U.S. to agree upon a peace accord with Iran, the conflict is intensifying. A group of Middle Eastern countries, including some of the OPEC member states, are threatening to place an oil embargo on the U.S. This could result in the price of a barrel of oil quadruppling – costs that would be passed on to American consumers, with everything from increased prices at the gas pump to higher priced airline tickets and home heating.  The U.S. gov’t must assess this crisis. Many in Congress fear that the American economy will be devastated if the embargo goes into effect. In addition to the problems that are represented by the OPEC member states, there is also growing protest by environmental groups in the U.S. who demand that the nation find cleaner sources of energy. These groups believe that the continued dependence on oil will likely draw the U.S. into another costly war in the Middle East and further devastate both the environment and the population of the region, as well as a result in a loss of U.S. lives and continue to pollute our country.

Directions  You will become members of Congress.  Group 1 – In light of the crisis, the U.S. should significantly reduce or eliminate our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. We should instead find other ways to meet our energy consumption needs, such as solar power, hydroelectric power, and alternative fuels.  Group 2 – The U.S. should negotiate with OPEC members to ensure that we have continued access to cheap oil. This group argues that if we don’t negotiate with OPEC, the oil industry, which employs tens of thousands of Americans, will be devastated, and that any new energy resources will be too expensive to develop, test, and market, thus undermining the economy.

Energy Crisis in America Heat was turned off in the White House

 Where does the U.S. get oil from today?

Realpolitik  Henry Kissinger served as Nixon’s senior foreign advisor.  Realpolitik – German word that means “practical politics”  - Protecting U.S. interests over political and moral ideals overseas.  U.S. should be willing to cooperate with nondemocratic countries

U.S. -China  U.S. thought the China and the U.S.S.R. were good friends  However, they argued over their shared borders  U.S. began secret talks with the Chinese  Led to the US and U.S.S.R. and SALT treaty  SALT Treaty- limited the number of long range nuclear missiles each country could have  Nixon became the 1 st President to visit Moscow