MYP Unit Question: How can the contributions of one person affect the direction of an entire nation?
Guiding Question: How did Culture and the Role of the President Shape Post-WWII America?
The 1980s, featuring President Ronald Reagan
Step 1: Plan with your group and divide the work.
Step 2: Research the history of the decade.
Key Events
Presidents & other significant people
Step 3:
Determine the context for and cultural response to the historical events. The topics are in a bullet point list. Your research/writing should be in paragraph form. You should also create headings. Consider the influence on your decade on the following topics:
As Reagan entered into office, there was a great deal of pessimism in the views pertaining to the U.S’s economic state. Stagflation (a combination of economic stagnation AND inflation –thought to be impossible before the 1970s) made many people very concerned. Inflation averaged 12.5% for the year of 1980, which was the highest level of inflation in 33 years and unemployment was at 7.1% for the year. The prime interest rate averaged 15.26%. The previous president, Jimmy Carter, announced plans to cut federal spending by $13 million, but, because inflation still continued to rise, his popularity plummeted.
There was a perceived decline in American business, an example of which was the near-collapse of Chrysler Corp (one of the Big Three automakers). It had $13.6 billion in assets and thousands of workers, but was on the verge of bankruptcy. The chairman of the board, Lee Iacocca asked Congress for a loan of $1 billion and near the end of 1979 congress agreed if Chrysler raised $2 billion by itself.
There was also an economic recession from 1979-1982 (the worst since the Great Depression), the lowest point of this pessimism. Carter cut deficit spending, which contributed to the recession. Once Reagan came into office, he needed to deal with an unemployment rate that went from 5.6-7.8% in Carter’s presidency to 10.8% in 1982.More than 12 million Americans were unemployed. Bankruptcies of business rose 50% from 1981-1982. America’s industrial heartland (a swath of land from Pennsylvania to Michigan) was described as the ‘rust belt’ by people who saw industry as declining, which led to the use of the word deindustrialization in this time period.
Education
The education in the 1980's had started to further develop new methods of teaching. Traditional techniques that the past decades focused on most were memorization and lots of practice and drilling. In this decade techniques involving comedy and physical activity were used to keep students very involved in class discussions and activities. The audience of students from the early 1980's to the late 1980's also changed drastically. Many students were ill-disciplined, used mind-altering drugs, and drank alcohol. The diversity of schools had increased, with many different ethnicities such as Indian, Latin, Italian, and Oriental ethnicities.
Fashion
During the 1980s, the fashion changed from the self-expressive and sensual styles of the 70s to a neat, business look. Many of the upper-class or business members of society, nicknamed yuppies, dressed to reflect their wealth and professionalism. The preppy look was very popular during this decade, and khakis, turtlenecks, and cable-knit sweaters were common. Typical prints for shirts included classic plaids and narrow stripes. Leather boat shoes of penny-loafers from the 1950s were worn by both genders, as were Rolex watches. One of the favorite status symbols of the time was the polo shirt, and the label on the left side was essential. To this generation, labels were very important for the wealthy and often displayed prominently. Eventually, these expensive styles trickled down to the masses, where they were made with different fabrics and labels but the same styles. The appearance of these clothes in malls was good for the middle class in society, but did not help the companies, since these designs were valued less once they were made available to everyone.
During this time period, the youth borrowed styles from the British punk movement, which started “street fashion”. This included secondhand clothes, ripped shirts and jeans, and black leather. By the end of the decade, this style had combined together with the preppy ones, so that people could be dressed in faded jeans and a preppy polo. Another notable fashion trend was that of exercise wear, as women were pressured by the media to stay in shape. This trend included clothes made of synthetic spandex, oversized T-shirts, and leggings. This fad, like the preppy style, was available in both high end stores, and malls for the middle-class.
Film & Theatre
There were several very popular movies created during the 1980s. These included Blade Runner, Do the Right Thing, Airplane!, Friday the 13th, Ghostbusters, Rambo, and the beginnings of the Indiana Jones series.
Airplane!Was a parody of the disaster movie genre, making fun of the dramatic and corny scenarios present in these films. It piles up increasingly silly gags throughout the movie.
Blade Runnercombines the genres of detective story and science-fiction to create a high-tech thriller dealing with the relationships between humans and technology. The main character is hired to eliminate rogue androids, but as he eliminates each, his doubts about their non-human classification grow.
Do the Right Thingdealt with a sensitive issue at the time- race relations. This comedy/drama deals with a boycott of an Italian pizza shop by African American activists who question why the local businesses are all run by whites and Asians. The main character, an African American pizza delivery man, is caught in the middle between the conflicts.
E.T. the Extraterrestrialis a touching film about the relationship between an average boy and a space alien. The alien was accidentally left behind when his ship headed back into space without him, and the boy (Elliott) becomes aware that the alien (E.T.) is homesick. This movie is unique among sci-fi movies because it depicted aliens as relatable, as opposed to the Cold War alien movies (when the threat of a nuclear war with the USSR was imminent), where the aliens were seen as menacing and intent on destroying Earth with superior technology.
Fatal Attractionis seen as a warning about the danger of adultery, a thriller and a backlash against feminism. The two main characters, Dan and Alex, engage in a short, emotional affair, and when Dan tries to break it off, Alex refuses and shows herself to be mentally unstable. Alex begins to stalk Dan, becoming more and more dangerous, finally turning violent. It is a commentary on obsession and adultery.
Friday the 13this a ‘slasher flick’ with many sequels & imitations. It begins at a camp where teen camp counselors are attempting to reopen it after 20 years, after a boy named Jason supposedly drowned. While they tease each other about his death, they begin to die off in violent ways. The perpetrator is Jason’s insane mother, who is eventually killed. However, it turned out that Jason never died, and wants revenge for his mother. Often in the series there are supernatural powers involved, along with mysterious ‘resurrections.’
Ghostbusterswas a lighthearted action-comedy about the struggle between humans and the evil of the supernatural, where the characters take turns getting rid of pesky ghosts. Eventually they uncover a plan to summon a monster that could bring on the end of the world, and they defeat it. The original movie spawned sequels, action figures, video games, and a cartoon series.
Indiana Joneswas a series created by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, inspired by James Bond and ‘cliffhanger serials’ popular in the ‘30s and ‘40s. It kept interest in it alive through a combination of special effects, nonstop action, and religious mysticism. It spawned a series of novels, comic books, and a computer adventure game, as well as a TV series.
Rambowas first a novel in 1972, and then created into a movie with several plot changes. In the novel, he ruthlessly kills, but in the movie is gentler- he does not kill, creating a ‘good guy’ image. In 1985,Rambo: First Blood Part II,Rambo is sent to see if any American prisoners remain in Vietnam, and is betrayed, captured and tortured. After escaping, he kills all the enemy soldiers in the vicinity. This film is seen to have an exaggerated machismo, (exaggerated masculinity) a negative trait.It also inspired a brief children’s cartoon.
Food & Drink
Meat main dishes: Steak with Mushroom-Wine Sauce, Onion-Topped Steak, Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fried Beef, Fruited Pot Roast, Enchiladas, Swiss Steak, Savory Beef Short Ribs, Burgers with Mushroom and Onions, Skillet Spaghetti, Skillet Stroganoff, Pizza Casserole, Cheeseburger Pie, Pork Chops with Kiwi Sauce, Ham and Zucchini Skillet, Lasagne.
Sandwiches & Soups: Denver Pocket Sandwiches, Ham-Pineapple Sandwiches, Sausage Burritos, Hot Dog Roll-Ups, Broiled Cheese Sandwiches, Shrimp Club Sandwiches, Chiliburgers in Crusts, Sloppy Joes, Hot Club Sandwiches, French Onion Soup, Italian Vegetable Soup, Chunky Beef-Noodle Soup, Cold Vegetable Soup
The print culture of the 1980s was influenced by many factors of popular culture, where large companies and conspicuous consumption was prevalent. Booksellers became dominated by large businesses like Borders or Barnes and Noble. Huge publishing companies bought up many of the smaller ones in order to increase their profits. Because of this, well known writers of the time or “blockbusters” such as Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, and Danielle Steel, tended to be published more than new authors. Many of the novels by these authors were turned into movies or TV programs. The large corporations also published magazines, videos, or music, and often published books that could be promoted in these different media.
The importance of status and wealth was a common theme of books from this decade. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay Mc Inerney and Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis were two popular books that dealt with drugs, labels, and business success. One major sensation of the decade was a book called Bonfire of the Vanities, which was written by Tom Wolfe and was a satire of American Greed, Wall Street, and glory-hungry activists. This piece was divided up published in successive issues of the Rolling Stone magazine, one of the many newspapers and magazines that became popular during this time period. These magazines, targeted to increasingly specific audiences, included fashion magazines Sassy and Mirabella, music magazine Spin, and the revival of Vanity Fair. One of the most quickly growing periodicals was USA Today, the first national newspaper. It was established in 1982 and had over a million readers after four years. The varied media in this decade bought in huge audiences, so despite the lack of diversity in large corporations and authors, huge amounts of people were influenced by print culture.
Sports & Games
Sports in the 1980’s were very similar to sports in our current era. Our major sports of soccer, baseball, hockey, and basketball all existed and were commonly watched and played during the era. During the era, one basketball star who was well known was Michael Jordan who was known for being a game saver. The impact of sports on society is evident today still, giving people an incentive to be outside and to stay active, the 80’s are seen as the beginning of a new era for sports.
Music
The music of the 1980’s was a mix between rock and roll and classical. Some of the famous pieces of music during the time was Stevie Wonder’s Hotter than July, The Ramon’s End of the Century, and finally Beethoven’s Concerto No.5, “Emperor.” This mix between music genres exemplified the time and illustrates how society was beginning to develop more major music artists. The main focus of the music of this era seems to be meant to revise rock and reinvent musical styles.
Government & Politics-B
Conservative political thinking went into a temporary decline in the presidential elecition of 1964, but during the late 70s and early 80s faced re-emerged, caused by the increased hostile actions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and the tensions that occurred because of this. Also, there was social upheaval due to the civil right and antiwar movements in the 60s and 70s, and conservatism was an answer to this upheaval. The 'sexual revolution' and hippie drug culture was decried by the New Right as a breakdown of traditional social values.
Many of the governmental measures that began during the 1960s that rapidly expanded government power were opposed by the New Right as intrusion on personal freedoms (bussing for school desegregation, affirmative action, Equal Rights Amendment, sex ed in schools, and increased environmental regulations).
They blamed the decline of the U.S. economy in the 1970s on President Johnson, who began to overspend on the Great Society social programs in the 1960s.
Law & Justice
During the 80s, drug use, violent crime, and greed by public officials all increased and shaped the justice system and way of life of Americans. Media attention was focused on mass murders and the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit became more respected as it helped to solve many of these cases. The 80s were also called the “me” decade because of the many instances of greed that occurred, including the Abscam scandal and investor fraud. This greed was another aspect in the increase of crime and prison populations reached an all time high. The American people tried to change this through television shows against crime (Cops, America’s Most Wanted) and through new programs such as D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).
The Reagan Administration changed many aspects of law and justice by appointing many new Supreme Court members who the American people thought would vote very conservatively on most issues. However, Reagan was also revolutionary in his choice to appoint the first female Supreme Court justice. One important law made by this Court was the Exclusionary Rule, which stated that police evidence that was illegally obtained could be used in court as long as they could prove that the evidence would have been discovered anyway. Because of the increase in crime and mass murders during the 80s, the American people hoped that this doctrine would allow the judicial system to suppress violence. Another new official Reagan’s administration put in place was a new head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, which, unlike his new Court members, was criticized for his lack of motivation toward helping minorities.
The Way They Lived
Society was covered in a web of lies and fear, with the government spinning the web and manipulating it for its advantage. Fear was used as a form of control for the government, fear of theSoviet Union. A few “events” used by the government to inspire fear in the nation were the K.G.B.’s plot to kill the pope, the Soviet Union’s use of yellow rain (Soviets supplied a toxin to communists who dropped it from the sky, it ended up being honeybee excrement), and the Soviet downing of K.A.L. Flight 007 (Reagan and the United Nations lied to the world about this to hype anti-Soviet sentiments).
Religion
Religion in the 1980's had taken a turn towards the construction of individual religions. One of the more prominant religious groups that rose a lot during the decade would be evangelicals or born again christians. In a sense of the mosaic built by america's ethnicities many different religions grew and became more prevelant throughout the U.S including Hinduism, Islam, and the roman catholic, in a sense towards population.
Date of Birth: February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois
Date of Death: June 5, 2004 in Los Angeles, California
Political Views: Republican
Religious Views: Protestant, Christian
Years Served as President: 1981-1989
Occupations: Movie star, Sports reporter, Radio, Governor of California, Air Force Captain.
Interests/Hobbies:
Movies
Tv shows
Radio
Public Speaking
Education:
Graduated from Eureka College in 1932
Friends:
Jane Wyman
Nancy Davis
George Bush (Senior)
Sports:
Football
During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (at home) included:
Political
Scandal was a large issue that Reagan was affected by during his presidency. He began his presidency optimistically, but by the middle of his 2nd term, tallies were being kept of the amount of officials indicted (it eventually turned out to be the largest amount in U.S. history).
Another political disturbance was the Iran-Contra scandal in 1986. Administration members had been selling arms to Iran for Iran’s promise to help free American hostages held in Beirut by Shiite radicals. This became even more serious when it was discovered that the profits were being given to rebels in Nicaragua, in conflict with congressional prohibition on doing such things. This hurt both Reagan’s image and that of his administration.
Social
The positive social views on Reagan would be his overall charisma and "likeableness" towards the people as a former actor and as president. In many of his qoutes he aspires the nation in an optimistic view to furthur our goals and growth for the future while trying to view the government as helpful.
In one of his quotes Ronald Reagan had quoted. "We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefitting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free. Trust the people. This is the one irrefutable lesson of the entire postwar period contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development." -- September 29, 1981.
Economic
In the election of 1980, ‘disciples of the Reagan revolution’ challenged the manner in which the U.S. was governed since WWII. Reagan worked to remove government from people’s lives in many forms, including deregulation, tax cuts, and diminished social spending, due to a belief in the power of the free market and private business.
Since the late 1800s, the U.S. had been a leading industrial power, with the rise of Andrew Carnegie and J.D. Rockefeller. During the 1980s, the economy began to change. WWII helped strengthen the U.S.’s economy, and it emerged from the war at the height of its power while its industrial rivals (Japan and Germany) were in shambles. However, the new service economy brought into question the idea of labeling the 20th century as the ‘American Century’, a term that emphasized the power of the U.S. in relation to other countries. The 1980s’ was actually referred to by some as the end of this era. For example, from 1946 to 1978 the U.S.’s steel production dropped from 60% of the worlds steel to 16%.
By the end of the 1980’s Japanese import cars had 20% of the domestic car marker and Japanese-owned plants controlled another 8%, prompting competition with American cars.
Common explanations for this were government-supported business, just-in-time delivery, computer-driven manufacturing (i.e. robotics) and the idea that workers let themselves be underpaid. In 1985 the top 3 Japanese car producers had twice as many new patents in the U.S. as the three American producers.
The American automobile industry was based on a production and marketing strategy from the 1920s, which assumed consumers wanted variety as long as it wasn’t too expensive, laborers could be easily hired and fired, supplies were tangential to business success, and the idea that large inventories should be kept to counteract strikes or bottlenecks. This outdated business model failed once competition picked up again, particularly from Japanese car companies. Their business model was different and more successful. It focused on flexible manufacturing (where plants can shift from making one car model to the next in a matter of minutes rather than hours, as in American plants), first-time quality as a major goal (eliminating waste in inventory, space, and effort), and continuous small improvements in each person’s job. The product cycle of Japanese cars was 7.5 years as opposed to 13-15 years for American cars (a product cycle is the amount of time from the initial idea until the point where the company stops making a model). The effects of this new model were a primary advantage of the Japanese manufacturers over the American companies- they responded more quickly to consumer preferences.
During my stint as president, the political, social and economic factors and challenges that I had to deal with (abroad) included:
Political
One of the political factors that Reagan had to deal with abroad was communism. Seen as the evil force of the time, communism was an issue that Ronald Reagan did his best to fight against. Many of the policies which were created by Reagan dealt with aiding those who were in the fight against communism, and hindering the allies of communism. Some of the things that were done to fight against communism during this time was the liberation of Grenada when its communist government was overthrown, and the Geneva summit where Reagan told the Soviet Union that they could choose between continuing the race for nuclear arms with the United States and they would lose, or they could both stop and not have to worry about being nuked.
Social
The Berlin Wall was Reagan’s crowning moment in foreign policy. His actions while in office allowed the wall to be brought down, during the middle of a tour of Eastern Europe president Reagan directly brought down a portion of the wall himself with a small hammer. The fact that the Cold war ended without much actual conflict gave some to that Reagan should not take credit for the fall of the Wall, because he did little in actuality. Generally though, it is accepted that Reagan was at least partially responsible for both the downfall of the wall, and the U.S.S.R.
Economic
A leading economic issue abroad of the time was aid to Central American countries. Reagan during this time wanted to give much aid to the country of El Salvador which had begun holding free elections and running a free press, whereas another country in the region Nicaragua had promised to do the same, taken aid money from the United States and then became Communist. The president appeared before a joint session of congress to plead the case of El Salvador who desperately needed economic support in response to Nicaraguan insurgents who were angry that El Salvador had become democratic. The aid was eventually given to El Salvador who had much improved its human rights.
Looking back at my presidential career, I had to wear several "hats." Wearing these different "hats," these were my most significant achievements and failures:
Commander-in-Chief
As commander in chief Reagan exercised his political prowess through his policies towards communism Throughout his administration his foreign policy was understood by the world to state that an enemy of communism was a friend to the United States. From Reagan’s viewpoint there was no such thing as too much being done in the fight against communism and other Marxist governments, during this time period the United States supplied money, arms, and military assistance in the fight against communism regardless of human rights. Reagan’s actions on the behalf of the United States almost caused many more wars than were fought, during his reign as president he authorized the bombing of Libya, sent marines to Lebanon to “keep the peace”, invaded Grenada to topple a Marxist regime, and he stockpiled nuclear arms creating a strategy for winning a nuclear war in Europe.
Chief Executive
The administration during Reagan’s presidency became much more conservative, partly because of the ‘religious Right’ (a major force in his winning the 1980 nomination). While he gave lip service to required school prayer and abortion banning, he did not do much to implement measures and instead focused on conservative economic and foreign affairs plans, which had higher public approval. Measures dealing with spending and the economy shifted at this time- in the New Deal era, the focus was on ‘social justice’ and helping the needy, but now shifted to reducing government spending and bureaucracy, which, despite campaign promises, he increased.
Chief Diplomat
Ronald Reagan’s diplomatic prowess was a combination of his good humor and his persuasive attitude. Ronald Reagan’s previous T.V. and Movie careers allowed him to have a greater understanding of how to explain his thoughts to the American public. Reagan was able to speak to the nation in an unwavering, simple and direct voice that never strayed from his beliefs. If there was one problem with the way Reagan conducted his decision making, it was the times that he didn’t make decisions at all, sometimes he left the work to his subordinates who did not always make the right decisions about how to use the presidential power. Even with his occasional laziness, his diplomatic skills were able to help end the arms race with the Soviet Union, and they also persuaded many third world countries to confront Marxist governments.
Ceremonial Head of State
One of the duties that every president has is to act as a Ceremonial Head of State. This job includes recognizing national holidays, being present at major events of the country, and honoring those that died in the war. Some notable ways in which Reagan fulfilled these duties was through his war on drugs, which he publicly declared in 1986, and through the ceremony held for the 100th “birthday” of the Statue of Liberty, where Reagan relit the statue’s torch to represent the flame of liberty. Additionally, Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s Hollywood associations and expensive inaugural celebration represented the wealth and comfort, as well as the traditional values that Americans wanted to believe in.
Manager of the Economy
Reagans’s economic program was based on Calvin Coolidge’s belief that the "business of the United States is business.” Reagan believed that economic incentives to the wealthy stimulated investment in companies, and this investment created a ‘trickle-down’ effect of wealth to the average worker, because this increased investment would result in greater prosperity of the company, and thus allow the workers more jobs and raises. There were opponents of this program, particularly Democrats- they said that the program took from the poor to give to the rich and left out minorities, disadvantaged people and the disabled.
Reagan’s proposed economic program did not work as planned. Bills for tax reforms were passed in 1981 and 1986 that reduced taxes for personal and corporate income, but the economy’s growth was not fast enough to balance the loss of revenue this caused. The compound reasons of Congress’ reluctance to cut programs like Social Security to the degree Reagan wanted and major increases in military spending made the federal deficit grow enormously. Altogether, the huge deficit and huge trade imbalances offset his successful strengthening of the economy and his curbing of inflation.
Party Leader
During his presidency, one of Reagan’s jobs was to lead the Republican Party. Reagan’s administration was known to be quite conservative, and during his campaign, the party supported traditional Christian values and hard work. Reagan promised to reduce taxes, balance the budget, and eliminate debt. These promises attracted so-called “Reagan Democrats” to vote for him, despite their difference in parties. Under Reagan, the Republican Party, which was thought to be the party of the rich, was supported by blue-collar workers. The Republican Party also became more conservative during this period, but Reagan did more with right-wing economic and foreign policy than with issues such as abortion. Although the majority of the nation was less conservative than the Republican Party under Reagan, the party’s optimistic attitude was embraced by nearly all Americans.
National Leader
One of Reagan’s appeal to voter’s was his ability to weave a vision of America where some of the traditional values such as patriotism, religion, hard work, relying on one’s self, and family values were emphasized, to the end of miraculously eradicating the country’s problems (both economically and socially) and bolster its reputation in foreign countries. This image was very persuasive, as he had charisma which united the public’s image of him as a good leader.
As the national leader Reagan had liberated eastern europe. He had also fought the war on terror through questionable acts by trading weapons for hostages. He had given the nation an optimistic view on the future even though economic times were tough for some. He had made the nation safer by making a nuclear arms agreement,, reducing nuclear arms for the soviet union. He had also boosted the economy with economic stimulating rules, of such rules that made small minority rich.
It does a little bit, although, you know, a large part of the Reagan Revolution was reduce the size of government. Reagan couldn't do it, nor could any later president, nor could any Republican today who might run now or in four years, so it didn't quite happen. -Michael Beschloss
Attempted Assassination of Reagan:
The Humor of Ronald Reagan:
This political cartoon comments on the humor and charisma of Reagan. During his time in office Reagan had a joke for everything, whatever the situation was he could make it funny. Many times, charisma in office can be considered impolite or informal, but with Reagan it was neither, he always knew when to draw the line. Apart from the humor of Reagan this cartoon also comments on Reagan’s television background, he spent most of his life in front of television cameras, and now this cartoon is illustrating that even after his life was over he still was on television for people to watch and comment about. Ronald Reagan was a very social person, this cartoon portrays this in a positive way.
In addition to Reagan’s humor, his optimism and the luxury of his previous lifestyle inspired Americans. By suggesting that Reagan’s personality was still alive after he had died, this comic deals with the fact that much of what Reagan accomplished was linked to the hope and security that his personality gave to Americans, and how it was one of the most longstanding effects of his presidency.
"As soon as i come back to California, I’m going to lean back, kick up my feet and take a long nap, now come to think of it, things won’t be all that different."-Ronald Reagan end of office speech.
Negative Political Cartoon
This negative political cartoon is commenting on Reagan's apparent disregard for democracy. Using his old movie, and television background the cartoonist portrays him as Dracula sucking the blood out of the statue of liberty. Many of Reagan's controversial actions were not popular among democrats, sometimes they felt that his actions were too out of context with the constitution, and was taking away from the rights of the people of America. Also, the public felt that Reagan spent too much time looking good for the camera, and not enough time taking care of the country because he always had time for the television, but was lazy with the other duties of the presidency.
After all this research you should now be able to answer the guiding question. Do NOT assign this to one person. The whole group needs to participate in a discussion and then write up the answer. Yes, you can do it on-line or in person. It should be several paragraphs and the answer to this question is the most important part of this assignment!!! 1 paragraph each.
One person, particularly one with power, affects the direction of a nation in several ways, particularly one who is seen as a leader. They may either give the public confidence or a sense of failure, depending on their charisma and charm, when they give speeches. The laws that they pass and their resulting productivity may turn public opinion towards them or away from them. These laws affect the citizens of the country, be it directly or indirectly. The ideas and views that they bring to power influence these laws. Laws and charisma within the boundaries of the country are not, however, the only thing that can be impacted. Their views and presentation in dealing with foreign countries change the opinions of foreign countries on such things as trade, human rights, nuclear power, etc. Although people generally tend to think of the people in power, such as the President, in terms of how they impact their immediate environment, they really influence world politics as a whole, in terms of both the decisions they take (sanctions, embargos, talks, etc) and the ideas they try to spread.
Post-WWIIAmericawas shaped by the culture and the role of the president of the time. In the 1980’s president Ronald Reagan was the bringer of change to the American public. This time period brought some of the most notable pieces of American culture today including movies like Blade Runner, and Ghostbusters which are still well known to this day. This era also marked the end of the official anti-communistic sentiments in the United States; no longer were we in the Cold War, the U.S.S.R. was losing it’s power in the world, and the Berlin Wall had fallen. While many anti-communist sentiments remained at the end of the 1980’s, they became less talked about and less important in people’s lives, communism became just another system of government. From this point forward our lives remain with the ghosts of the past, daily we hear about how our elders remember the day the wall came down, remnants which will be inscribed in the annals of the history of the United States for the remainder of it’s existence. In Reagans terms in office as commander in chief he had achieved a great deal such as a liberation of Eastern Europe. In this achievement, he had changed some views of other nations, against America, and in turn it helped our relations with competing countries and foreign affairs.
In addition to the political effects that the president and his policies had, the social and cultural aspects of the nation were very much affected by Reagan as well. The Hollywood lifestyle of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and their conservative views were comforting to Americans who yearned for better times after the turbulent 1970s. The expensive inaugural celebration for Reagan gave Americans security. Also, the growing yuppie culture was brought on by the increasing gap between the rich and poor brought on by the economic policies. Reagan’s ultra-conservative views shaped the Republican Party at the time and his optimism inspired people. Although many underlying problems from the 1970s were not completely amended, Reagan helped to boost American confidence by stressing the power of American business and values.
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