1 / 9

History 419: America Since 1945

History 419: America Since 1945. Introduction and Themes. Rules of the Road…. I will…. Be preparing the lectures (including videos and slides) and discussion points for our meetings each Monday and Wednesday AM Be preparing assignments to monitor your progress in the class (Wednesday)

carter-morse
Download Presentation

History 419: America Since 1945

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. History 419: America Since 1945 Introduction and Themes

  2. Rules of the Road… • I will…. • Be preparing the lectures (including videos and slides) and discussion points for our meetings each Monday and Wednesday AM • Be preparing assignments to monitor your progress in the class (Wednesday) • You’re responsible for… • Reading, attending class, preparing the short assignments, thinking and talking!

  3. Themes for the Semester • The United States as a Global Power • Economic and Social Life in Modern America • Cultural Change and Social Movements • Scandals and Crises • Lessons of History for the Future….

  4. U.S. as a Global Power • Triumphed in World War II with relatively little damage to the economy and society • A new conflict, the Cold War, follows quickly on the end of the world war (1946) • Cold War ends around 1990. • 1990s: New Era of Peace and Globalization • 2001: Start of the War on Terror

  5. Social and Economic Life • In 1945, Americans were not confident that economic prosperity was at hand • The economy had been in depression from 1929 to 1941. • 1945-1973: Unprecedented economic prosperity, sometimes called “the American Century” • 1973 – present: Turbulent economic times of boom and recession

  6. Cultural Change • 1950s: Conformity and the Heyday of the American Family • 1960s-1970s: Rise of protest movements: Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation, Gay Rights, Environmentalism • 1980s: Resurgence of Conservatism and Reagan Revolution • Where are we now?

  7. Scandals and Crises • Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, brings the world to the brink of nuclear war • Watergate break in (1972) and cover up leads to resignation of President Nixon (1974) • Iran Contra Scandal of the Reagan Era • Monaca Lewinsky Affair leads to impeachment of President Clinton • 9/11 starts a new world crisis of terrorism

  8. Lessons for the Future? • George Santayana: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” • What is Islamic Fascism? • Is the war on terror like the cold war? • Is the economy growing? • What is the future of the family and family values?

  9. Rules of the Road… • I will…. • Be preparing the lectures (including videos and slides) and discussion points for our meetings each Monday and Wednesday AM • Be preparing assignments to monitor your progress in the class (Wednesday) • You’re responsible for… • Reading, attending class, preparing the short assignments, and thinking and talking!

More Related