Ford and Carter

Economic Crisis of 1970  Inflation b/c of govt. spending  Rising cost of raw materials, oil  Decline in manufacturing  U.S. factories became old and inefficient  Stagflation= rising prices and economic stagnation

Ford becomes President  Pardoned Nixon- approval ratings dropped 20%  WIN- Whip Inflation Now, cut back on oil and gas consumption  Most of his economic plans failed

Carter  Not successful at fixing the economy  Energy crisis- Carter’s plans did not work  Americans felt Carter blamed them for his failures  Relations with Soviet Union collapsed under Carter

Carter and the Middle East  Shah of Iran was forced to flee  Iran’s new religious leader= Ayatollah Khomeini  Ayatollah distrusted the U.S.  November Americans taken hostage in Tehran  Carter’s rescue mission failed  January 20, the day Carter left office, Iran released the hostages

The “Me” Decade  Americans became self-obsessed  New Age movement  Yoga, martial arts, chanting  Crystals and gemstones  Astrology  Birthrate dropped, families spent less time together  Divorce rate doubled

Popular Books

70s Popculture  Television portrayed new roles- women as independent, racism, poverty, abortion  Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family  End of hard-rock and beginning of softer sounds in music (ie. Barry Manilow, John Denver, ABBA, and the Eagles)  Disco craze- Saturday Night Fever

70s Fads  Bell-bottoms, platform shoes, jumpsuits  Mood rings- get in touch with inner feelings  Citizens Band radios- drivers can talk to each other on a two-way frequency  Fitness- aerobics and running  Button craze- smile buttons… most popular craze since hula-hoops