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The 1970s (pronounced "nineteen-seventies"; commonly shortened to the "Seventies" or the "' 70s") was a decade that began on January 1, 1970, and ended on December 31, 1979.
Apr 6, 2024 · The ’70s was a decade where pop culture truly made its mark. Remember when Jaws had you second-guessing that beach vacation? When it premiered in 1975, it scared millions and set the stage for the modern summer blockbuster.
Apr 15, 2012 · Historian Dominic Sandbrook examines why in the popular imagination the 1970s are lampooned and despised as the era of Edward Heath, the decade of the donkey jacket, and the age of the Austin...
- Conservative Backlash
- The New Right Rises
- Environmental Movement
- Cars in The 1970s
- Movies and TV Shows
- Women’s Rights
- Gay Liberation
- Antiwar Movement
- Watergate Scandal
- Jimmy Carter
Some Americans, particularly working class and middle class whites, responded to the turbulence of the 1960s—the urban riots, antiwar protestsand the counterculture—by embracing a new kind of conservative populism. Tired of what they interpreted as spoiled hippies and whining protestors, tired of an interfering government that, in their view, coddl...
As the 1970s continued, a new political movement known as the “New Right” emerged. This movement, rooted in the rapidly growing suburban Sun Belt, celebrated the free market and lamented the decline of “traditional” social values and roles. New Right conservatives resented and resisted what they saw as government meddling. For example, they fought ...
In other ways, 1960s liberalism continued to flourish. For example, the crusade to protect the environment from all sorts of assaults—air and water pollution, toxic waste in places like Love Canal, New York; dangerous meltdowns at nuclear power plants such as the one at Three Mile Islandin Pennsylvania; highways built through city neighborhoods—rea...
The energy crisis of the 1970s also drove many Americans to reject the clunky, gas-guzzling autos that Detroit continued to produce. Starting in 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)required now-familiar Fuel Economy Labels on new cars, which gave consumers estimated mile-per-gallon ratings for city and highway driving. Soon, car shoppers...
Many movie critics consider the 1970s a golden era of socially conscious filmmaking, after the studio system in Hollywoodcompletely broke down and restrictions on violence, obscenity and sexual content loosed. In this "New Hollywood" environment, innovative directors such as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Barbara Kopple...
During the 1970s, many groups of Americans continued to fight for expanded social and political rights. In 1972, after years of campaigning by feminists, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which reads: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on accou...
Following the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the gay rights movement continued to build momentum and began to wield considerable political power. One year after Stonewall, New York City hosted America’s first gay pride parade. In 1978, Harvey Milkwas elected mayor of San Francisco, becoming the first openly gay man elected to office in California. And in...
Even though few people continued to support America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, President Nixon feared that a retreat would make the United States look weak. As a result, instead of ending the war, Nixon and his aides devised ways to make it more palatable, such as limiting the military draftand shifting the burden of combat onto South Vietna...
In 1972, Nixon took an unprecedented trip to the People’s Republic of China, which was heralded in the press as a dramatic turning point in Cold War relations with a communistnation. The visit was later seen as kicking off China’s transformation into a global manufacturing and military superpower. But as his term in office wore on, President Nixon ...
When Vice-President Gerald Ford took over the Oval Office following Nixon’s resignation, he—to the disgust of many Americans—pardoned Nixonright away. This and other events—including the resignation of Vice-President Spiro Agnew following a corruption and bribery scandal—left many voters thoroughly disenchanted with politics in general, and the Rep...
The decade after the “Swinging Sixties” was marked by unrest and upheaval. Although the Vietnam War effectively ended with the Fall of Saigon, other conflicts arose, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Aug 12, 2019 · Stephen Paul Miller calls the 1970s the uncanny decade—the “undecade.” Things were particularly weird in these years, which remain shrouded in America’s cultural memory, as if by a kind of smog.
Dec 28, 2022 · In the 1960s and early ’70s, work and class were changing. Sociologists like Michael Young tried out new terms for thinking about class.