Many believe that the 1970s was an era where not much happened compared to the 1960s and 1980s. There are many which regard the 1970s as a throwaway era because it lacked any form of impact in our society and was only known for bad fashion, rock music, and other things that were considered forgettable. Bruce Schulman believes otherwise; with his book “The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics.” Bruce talks about the 1970s as a period of transformative change in many different areas. The 1970s was the period of Richard Nixon becoming president all the way to Ronald Reagan’s decisive victory in the reelections which affected many things such as politics. Bruce Schulman goes against the popular notion that the 1970s was an unimportant era in history because he believes that the United States experienced a transformation in many different areas which helped shape our present time. Bruce Shulman believes that the 1970s was an overlooked decade and begins to explain what was affected during those times. Some of the many aspects that Bruce Schulman talks about which were transformed in the 1970s were American economics, cultural life, politics, family life, religion, race relations, and popular culture. In reading this book, I believe the most interesting consequential importance of these transformations happens in the area of politics. I believe politics was affected the most because of a multitude of events, many of which stemmed from the 1970s
The 1970s was an extremely interesting decade when it comes to the political history and social issues. Many things have occurred to ensure that. The decade was full of things that made a huge impact on the social view of the United States along with the country political views. According to History.com, this decade was a tumultuous time. It was a continuation of the previous decade, the 1960s. In many ways the 1970s made an enormous impact on America.
The 1970s is known for being the decade for changing the American values and culture and Hollywood played a major part in this change. It all began with president Nixon being elected in 1969. He ordered bombing in the neutral Cambodia, which he though would help end Vietnam war, but it did not. The 1970s were a very turbulent time due to the tragedy of Vietnam and the trauma caused by the Watergate Scandal. Due to this, People were losing faith in the government and many riots occurred during this time. While the People went through many changes in the 1970s, the Hollywood industry also went through many changes during this time.
Terry H. Anderson The Sixties takes us back to that controversial decade where citizens not only believed change was important but demanded it to occur. The author beings his discussion on the Cold War era and how it seeded the growth of the sixties. The conventional and orthodox of the fifties was a vast improvement for many of the old-generation who lived through the great depression. The decade was referred to as “Happy Days,” however, it was only truly happy for white American males. The rest of the population was tired of the unfair treatment and the lack of national problems being addressed by the government. This anger was beginning to manifestation and would eventually take center stage in the era of the sixties.
The 1960s was crammed full of many impacting events and important figures. From Hitchcock releasing one of the greatest thrillers of all time, Psycho, to Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death, to the infamous Woodstock festival. This era changed history completely and made the United States think twice about its youth. Events of the 1960s are still impacting our country as we know it today. The sudden pull from the conservative ‘50s changed America’s views on all aspects of life, including fashion, entertainment, and lifestyles.
With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American “ideal family” as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s were revealed to be a decade of prosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War.
The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil
The sixties seemed to challenge basic American assumptions; the value of hard work and of traditional family values. “Middle” America formed 55% of the population, earning between $5000 and $15000 p.a. They lived between the city slums and the affluent suburbs, and were usually up to their eyes in debt. They wanted the law to protect them and their property. They believed in good manners, in respect for authority and the flag. The changes of the sixties left many of them confused and angry. They were not sure who to blame for social unrest. They were the silent minority that Nixon appealed to in his election campaign, and they helped him to victory. They were the resentment and reaction byproduct of social unrest. They worked to ensure their property and found it unfair that the government gave money to the people that did not work as much as they did. They wanted law and order. They wanted a state that provided security, response to the insecurity they felt in face of the students movement and the liberal culture. They felt ignored by the democrat government because they did not benefit from the financial help, house and health security.
The 1970s wear a dark time for Americans. Jimmy Carter was president. No one took
The seventies is often seen as a lost decade, merged between the optimistic sixties and the opportunistic eighties. Bruce J. Schulman argues, in his book titled, “The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture”, that this period ignores changes brought by the 1970s. This period brought changes in the economy, shifts in culture, politics, race, family and religious values. The United States faced many transformations that helped shape our country to this day. Schulman begins to explain his thesis, “The Seventies transformed American economic and cultural life as much as, if not more than, the revolutions in manners and morals of the 1920s and the 1960s.” The information that I will present will summarize the changes that affected the United
Have you ever wanted to know what the 1970’s were like? Do you wish you can go back in time and explore the 1970’s? Maybe your parents were born in the 70’s and you want to see what life was like for them? Well in this essay I’ll show you what the culture was like in the 1970’s. There was a big cultural change from the 1960’s to the 1970’s I will explain how food, cars, Tv, and technology all play a big part in the cultural change.
America during the 1980’s experienced a time of immense progression and prosperity. The 1980’s saw a boom in economic success because of the newly Reaganomics. MTV and music videos sparked a new wave pop culture for the youth and the many new TV stations opened up a whole new world for all generations. The leadership of the country saw positive steps forward from the past mistrust and failures of the presidents of old and this better leadership carried to country forward through the decade.
In essence, there was no sharp outline between the 1960s and 1970s, either politically or culturally true. By the early 70s, the tone of 40s, political life began to change as the Vietnam War wound down and the anti-war movements separated. Alice Walker is another famous writer in Afro-American literature. She has characterized the 1960s as the decade of death in her novel Meridian (1976). The major black movement of the 1960s shifted gears in the 1970s.
The 1960’s was a decade that forever changed the culture and society of America. The
The 1970s can be best understood as a transitional period in America. Starting in the 1950s, the power of the youth was on the rise, through civil rights activism and anti-war protests. This decade’s ideal citizen seemed to be the person helping others. Then the 1980s are more financially centered and individualistic. This decade’s ideal citizen is the one who measured success by how much money they made. The 1970s proved to be a time of bitterness, cynicism, and increased interest in one’s self for most of the people in America. Some of the events that contributed to this were the Kent State Massacre, Roe v. Wade, and the economic stagflation that happened in the latter part of the decade.
Many historians regard the 60’s as the decade of positive change, particularly for minority groups. As a result the 1970s, which followed the socially impactful 60's, are often seen as “the decade where nothing happened” or, more specifically, “nothing good happened”.