The 1970s were a reaction to the radical liberalism of the 1960s. Most marginalized groups were continuing to fight for rights that they had started fighting for in the 1960s. The idea from the 1950s and 60s that America was the best was starting to be questioned. The Watergate scandal caused Americans to lose faith in their federal government. The economy was so bad that the unemployment rate was almost as high as it was during the Great Depression. Many Americans wanted less government interference in the day to day economy. This was a time when the American Dream was really being questioned. The rags-to-riches story was really looking to be impossible. Were the people of the 1930s better off than the people of the 1970s?
The oil crisis caused the economy to take a turn for the worse. The Arab countries of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) were upset at the US because the American government was allied with Israel. Those Arab nations also claimed that they only had so much oil and had to conserve it. They imposed an embargo on all oil being shipped to the US. The US was hugely dependent on foreign oil. The embargo caused huge amounts of inflation and the worst recession since the Great Depression. The government tried to make oil prices more manageable for Americans by price controlling already discovered oil (old oil), but producers just shut down old oil production to avoid price control. There was not enough oil. There were long lines at the gas pump and a panic to get gasoline. The price of gas was no longer the problem, the availability was.
The unemployment rate reached into the double digits. It had not been that high since the Great Depression. President Jimmy Carter did very little to solve the issues with the economy. His attempts to reduce inflation or stimulate the economy only made things worse. On July 15, 1979 Carter gave a speech that blamed the American people for the economic crisis. The American public did not take well this accusation and they blamed Carter for the economic downturn because of his lack of leadership skills.
In 1979, the Iranian Revolution occurred. The previous leader, the shah, was overthrown and an Islamic theocracy took over. The United States had supported the shah, so the Iranian people saw the US as an oppressive enemy. Carter allowed the shah to seek refuge in the United States. This enraged Iranians. A bunch of Iranian students stormed the American embassy and took fifty-three American workers hostage. They said that these Americans would be tried as spies and executed if the United States did not hand the shah over. At first the American people rallied behind Carter and would have supported any action he took. However, he was not doing anything. Instead, he took action against the Soviet Union for invading Afghanistan by refusing to give them grain and by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Soviet Union's actions had nothing to do with the crisis in Iran. The hostage crisis was a symbol of America's declining power and influence.
42nd Street premiered in 1980. The show helps the audience to escape from the craziness that is going on in politics and the economy. 1933 was economically similar, so the audience could empathize with some of the plight of the characters. The show also reaffirms that with hard work, talent, and someone pointing you out, the American Dream is still possible. Were the 1930s better? Probably not. People of the 1970s longed for the sureness of the 1930s, and there is no ambiguity in 42nd Street.
The oil crisis caused the economy to take a turn for the worse. The Arab countries of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) were upset at the US because the American government was allied with Israel. Those Arab nations also claimed that they only had so much oil and had to conserve it. They imposed an embargo on all oil being shipped to the US. The US was hugely dependent on foreign oil. The embargo caused huge amounts of inflation and the worst recession since the Great Depression. The government tried to make oil prices more manageable for Americans by price controlling already discovered oil (old oil), but producers just shut down old oil production to avoid price control. There was not enough oil. There were long lines at the gas pump and a panic to get gasoline. The price of gas was no longer the problem, the availability was.
The unemployment rate reached into the double digits. It had not been that high since the Great Depression. President Jimmy Carter did very little to solve the issues with the economy. His attempts to reduce inflation or stimulate the economy only made things worse. On July 15, 1979 Carter gave a speech that blamed the American people for the economic crisis. The American public did not take well this accusation and they blamed Carter for the economic downturn because of his lack of leadership skills.
In 1979, the Iranian Revolution occurred. The previous leader, the shah, was overthrown and an Islamic theocracy took over. The United States had supported the shah, so the Iranian people saw the US as an oppressive enemy. Carter allowed the shah to seek refuge in the United States. This enraged Iranians. A bunch of Iranian students stormed the American embassy and took fifty-three American workers hostage. They said that these Americans would be tried as spies and executed if the United States did not hand the shah over. At first the American people rallied behind Carter and would have supported any action he took. However, he was not doing anything. Instead, he took action against the Soviet Union for invading Afghanistan by refusing to give them grain and by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Soviet Union's actions had nothing to do with the crisis in Iran. The hostage crisis was a symbol of America's declining power and influence.
42nd Street premiered in 1980. The show helps the audience to escape from the craziness that is going on in politics and the economy. 1933 was economically similar, so the audience could empathize with some of the plight of the characters. The show also reaffirms that with hard work, talent, and someone pointing you out, the American Dream is still possible. Were the 1930s better? Probably not. People of the 1970s longed for the sureness of the 1930s, and there is no ambiguity in 42nd Street.
"The 1970s." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2013.
Donaldson, Gary. "America in the 1970s: The Post-Watergate Years." The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. N. pag. Print.
Donaldson, Gary. "America in the 1970s: The Post-Watergate Years." The Making of Modern America: The Nation from 1945 to the Present. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. N. pag. Print.