Assignment 11
1) The 70s
What are some things that stood out to you that happened in the 70s
Draft card burning
2) Roe v. Wade
This case legalized abortion.
b) How many states’ laws would have to be thrown out?
46 states.
c) After how many months could laws be made to regulate the matter? (That is, when could
laws outlaw or limit? In other words, what was the qualification?)
3 months.
3) Generation X childhood
How is childhood different after the 70s and today than it once was?
Children in the 70s spent more time with their parents and they were more obedient to
authority than today’s children.
4) Nixon’s plan to end the Vietnam war
ASSIGNMENT 11 3
a) Running for election in ’68, Nixon said he had a “secret plan” to do
what?
To end the Vietnam War.
b) But “in truth” what did he want/do?
To win elections.
c) Nixon was obsessed with what?
Secrecy.
d) Who was his National Security Advisor, who helped him run foreign
policy?
Henry Kissinger.
e) What country did Nixon have bombed secretly?
Cambodia.
f) Nixon visited which country to establish relations and help broker
end of war?
China.
5) Nixon’s Paranoia Leads to Watergate
Nixon had always kept lists of what?
Enemies.
His paranoia was rooted in deep what?
ASSIGNMENT 11 4
The Pentagon Papers.
Who did he wiretap?
He wiretapped the Democratic Party’s headquarters.
For two years he fought the inevitable, feeling the president was
above…what?
The law.
In a speech he famously said, “Well, I’m not a….” what?
A crook.
Vice President (who) would take office after him?
Gerald Ford.
6) “Watergate Brings Down Nixon” (History.com)
a) Police knew there was a break in at the Watergate office building in Washington DC
building when they saw what?
A tape covering locks on several doors.
b) Police found five men in WHAT office??
The office of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
c) They were stealing (burglars) and attempting to do what?
They were attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents.
d) Bernstein and Woodward were investigative reporters for what newspaper?
Washington Post.
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e) They trace the money involved to a “slush fund” for what? (For what committee?)
The Democratic National Committee (DNC)
f) The reporters get information from “a clandestine FBI source” known
only as what?
Tip Front.
g) What did President Nixon secretly tape?
All White House conversations.
h) Facing certain impeachment, what does Nixon do in 1974?
He resigned.
i) What did VP (turned new president) Ford do one month later?
He pardoned Nixon for all the crimes he committed or may have committed while in office.
7) Carter and Energy Crisis
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bonus-video/presidents-economy-carter/
a) What “scare” hit America in 1973?
Oil scare.
b) Carter urges Americans to do WHAT, to stave of energy problems?
To waste less energy.
c) And Carter “leads by” what? For example, what?
Carter leads by example. For instance, he curtailed the use of limos, cancelled magazine
subscriptions, put on the auction block the yacht Sequoia meant for the president, and
unplugged television sets.
8) Gas and energy crisis in 1970s
Background reading: www.history.com/topics/energy-crisis
ASSIGNMENT 11 6
a) What war in the Middle East prompted member countries of OAPEC to start an oil
embargo? Who attacked Israel?
The Yom Kippur War began in early 1973, following the attack of Israel by Syria and
Egypt on the holy Jewish day of Yom Kippur.
b) In the months after the embargo, the cost of oil went from $3 a barrel to how much?
12% per barrel.
c) What’s a couple of examples of lingering effects of the higher cost of oil, whether social,
political, or legislative?
The higher cost of oil led to price hikes, fuel shortages, and changes in lifestyles. The
automobile industry was also affected as it was outpaced by Japanese manufacturers who
produced smaller and more fuel-efficient cars. In line with the oil movement toward energy
reform, the government made efforts to promote domestic oil production and to reduce the
dependence of Americans on fossil fuels.
(FYI, reading: cr.middlebury.edu/es/altenergylife/70%27s.htm)
9) “Stagflation” in the 1970s (and in general)
a) What two words comprise “stagflation”, and therefore what does it
mean?
“Stagflation” is made of two words, stagnation and inflation. “Stagflation” means
situations involving high “inflation” rates, slow economic growth rates, and steadily high
unemployment rates.
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b) What is “supply shock”?
It refers to an event that causes a sudden change to the prices of certain commodities or
services due to a sudden decrease or increase in the supply of certain goods.
c) So what tends to happen to employment and wages?
The bargaining power of wages drops, and employment rates decrease.
Hostage Crisis in Iran
a) How many hostages were taken in Iran?
66 hostages
b) Who was the Iyatolla Khomeini?
He was a radical cleric whose revolutionary Islamist movement seemingly promised a
detachment from the past and a move to more autonomy for the Iranian people.
c) Where were the hostages taken hostage?
The American embassy in Tehran.
d) At the time, the military was worn thin from what?
A severe desert sandstorm.
e) What “force” is unleashed by Carter on Iran?
Carter launched a risky military rescue mission.
f) Military hostage extraction is code-named what?
Operation Eagle Claw.
11) Ronald Reagan (Elected 1980 and ’84)
ASSIGNMENT 11 8
a) To Americans, Reagan seemed like what kind of character? (Hint: hat)
A great communicator.
b) Reagan seemed to restore America’s what?
Peace.
c) He seemed able to convince Americans that America was what?
A super power.
d) What was his “genius”, according to the video?
Economics.
12) “Reaganomics”
www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=621925n>
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/revisiting-reaganomics/
a) Reagan told advisors he didn’t “like” three things. What were they?
He did not like taxes, inflation, and the Russians.
b) Reagan signs the largest WHAT in history?
He signed the largest tax cut in history.
c) Meanwhile, he dramatically increased spending for what?
He increased defense spending by $100 billion to defeat the Soviets.
d) What happened to the deficit (the national debt)?
The budget and trade deficits continued to rise along with the economy for about 10 to 15
years.
e) What happened to inflation by the time Reagan leaves office?
The inflation had reduced from 15% to about 1%.
ASSIGNMENT 11 9
1) How does the movie start?
The movie starts with the U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson throwing hefty galas and
surrounding himself in the congressional office with young and beautiful women, instead of
legislating.
2) Who was Charlie Wilson?
He was a U.S. Representative of Texas Second Congressional District.
3) What countries are involved to help smuggle weapons to Afghanistan?
Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
4) What was the role of the Julia Roberts character, Joanne Herring?
She was a right-wing Houston socialite with great hate for communism and much love for
Jesus and martinis. She contradicts the American culture through her splendor, as she
stands up for liberty and godliness while sleeping with the military ruler of Pakistan and a
bachelor congressman. Herring advocates for the needs of the Afghan people and
American troops.
5) What is the last line of the film, the one printed on the screen? (You can paraphrase if you
are sensitive to language)
“And then we fucked up the end game”
6) What did this last line refer to? That is, what did it mean, or what was the message? What
did the line MEAN??? (This is key, so don’t get it wrong.)
The line refers to the Afghanistan war. The message that the line is trying to send is that
the U.S. acted improperly so that instead of ending the war, it actually started it.
ASSIGNMENT 11
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7) What did the film demonstrate about the way the Cold War was fought? What tactics are
employed?
The cold war involved the use of propaganda.
