Similarities Between 70 And 70

In 1980, the United States was emerging from a troubled decade. The 1970s had been marked by an ugly end to the Vietnam War, the demoralizing Watergate spectacle, rampant inflation, unemployment and an energy crisis. The Soviets had just invaded Afghanistan, rejuvenating

Overall the 1950s and today are very similar in some ways, but also very different in others. With a 67-year different the 1950s has changed but also things have stayed the same. Since the 1950s, some similarities are discrimination, teen interest and problems with North Korea. Some differences since the 1950s is the average poverty rate, average unemployment rate and the average income for families in the United States.

Technology has changed drastically from the 1970s to now. We have exceeded what most people back then could ever imagine. The technology used in schools, homes, and in public places has evolved into technology that makes the “cutting edge” technology of the 70s look very simple. Things such as the personal computer, the cell phone, electronic games, TVs, and even watches have changed completely. The ways that they have exceeded expectations is truly unbelievable.

President Richard Nixon’s Watergate incident and resignation in August of 1974 left the nation feeling skeptic toward the national government. Gerald Ford, who was not elected by the public, took the oath of office and became the 38th president of the United States. President Ford, coined with a repugnant image in both the eyes of the public and the media, was defeated by 56 electoral votes in the election of 1976. Jimmy Carter managed to receive similar distasteful images by the end of his single term as well. Although there were similarities between Ford and Carter, the two presidents were different in terms of previous experience, domestic policies, and foreign affairs.

Twenty-five years of broad economic expansion and prosperity comes to an abrupt end in the 70s as it was replaced by crawling growth and inflation. This sudden shift was due two factors; a mix of long term processes and unexpected shocks. Many long term processes contributed to the economic drawback. Manufacturing was gradual declining in the United States relative to the rest of the world after World War II. In 1971, for the first time in the 1900s, the United States was in an export trade deficit. This was partly because the dollar was linked to gold making products more expensive abroad. Nixon took the United States off the gold standard to make American goods cheaper. Unfortunately, this was not very effective because other nations had significantly cheaper labor and raw materials. This growing competition put many firms out of business. This was especially hurtful for the manufacturing industry, which saw a huge decrease of workers. After success in the 50s and 60s such as pensions and paid vacations, many unionized workers also took a hit in 1970s. Many companies started eliminating high paying jobs and moving jobs to cheaper areas of

The 1970s were a time of confusion and revolution in the United States. Integration finally prevailed in the public school system, with the major incident being in Little Rock, Arkansas. The United States went through an extreme energy crisis in the 1970s. Both Welfare and Social Security went through drastic reform policies throughout the decade. In addition, the U.S. economy fluctuated throughout the decade creating both good and bad times for many, as inflation rates hit an all-time high. The 1970s was an extremely influential decade in America's history, and one that helped to shape following decades.

Living in the 70s was in the midst of a unique culture. Theatres in the 1970s were very popular as various people rushed to theaters to watch plays and movies. This was also the era in which many owned bizarre items such as pet rocks, mood rings, bean bag chairs, and more. “Have a nice day!” became a slogan that earmarked the 70’s,and was almost always accompanied with the notorious smiley face icon. Sickening sweet happy faces were plastered everywhere; they were spray painted on the side of buildings and even worn on bandanas and t-shirts. Another distinct culture featured in the 70’s was the fashion. Fashion fads in the 70’s took off like rockets. Clothing styles such as shirts with colorful geometric shapes and bell-bottoms emerged. The rise of disco also played a big role during this time. In contrast to males in today’s society, some men in the 1970’s wore shoes with giant heels. Culture proved to play a big role in the 70’s and profoundly affected the civilization’s view upon The American Dream.

The 80 's was an eye opener to a lot of new things, new music, new styles, new points of view on life and new technology. Music was a big hit for the 80 's and so was the technology. A home, family, job and fun was basically what everyone needed to live ahappy life. In the 80 's, people saw the American dream, as a simple task of success andthose years defined them. They were the generation in between differences and facing disagreement andnot turning our backs. The 80 's may have made them idealistic, but it 's idealism that will push themand be passed on to their children, the first children of the twenty-first century.

For many people in the United States, the late 1970s were a distraught time. Events such as the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War had weakened Americans’ confidence in their government and fellow citizens. Many Americans embraced a new conservatism in social, economic, and political life during the 1980s, marked by the policies of President Ronald Reagan. The decade of the 80s is remembered for its materialism and consumerism, the rise of the “yuppie,” an outbreak of blockbuster movies, and the rise of cable networks which launched the careers of many iconic artists.

The 1970's was a continuation of the 1960's and had many historical events that changed the world. There was new freedom for women, homosexuals, Native Americans, the elderly, the handicapped, and other minorities (The 1970s: Lifestyles and Social Trends: Overview). Many tragedies happened in the 1970's like: the Beatles broke up, Elvis Presley's death, JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King’s assassination, Robert F. Kennedy's assassination and many more tragedies. Many good things also happened during this decade. It was the year known as the hippie years and the disco fever years. It was the year congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for women which changed the image of the world because women were free from the 70's and so

David Farber and Bethy Bailey’s America in the 70’s is a collection from nine authors giving insight on the misunderstood decade. Each author draws heavily on the popular culture in the seventies to illustrate the political and economic transformation. Overshadowed by the 1960s, the seventies are thought to lack passionate champions and struggled in economic transformation. That, with the addition of the defeat in Vietnam, the loss in faith of the president after three failed presidencies and race and gender issues helped camouflage this decade. Americans had “uncertainty about the meaning of happiness, success, patriotism and national identity” (pg. 2).

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

The 1980's started of hope and optimism to a vision of a reborn America. After two decades of troubles, assassinations, urban riots, the agony of Vietnam and the disgrace of Watergate the nation was ready to move ahead. Here was the oldest man ever to serve as president, Ronald Reagan was in his 70'a yet this boyish grin and rugged good looks still projected the youthful vigor of his days in Hollywood (Time Life Book Editors, 1999).

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.

“Despite the economic uncertainty, riots and struggles, for us in the U.S. at least, the ’70s are considered a time of freedom, both creatively and sexually. I think there is a desire to go back to that,” said Patricia Mears,