The 1970s and 1980s
A president brought down by his own cover-up, an oil shock, and the decade that ended with the Cold War itself winding down.
5 topics · 16 questions
Each topic is a path, not a menu: work down it in order and every question builds on the one above. Click any of them to watch the answer draw itself.
Nixon and Watergate
- Going furtherWhat happens to public trust in the presidency in the years right after Watergate?
- How it worksWalk me through the chain from the Watergate break-in to the secret tapes to Nixon's resignation in 1974.
- How it worksHow did the Watergate cover-up itself, more than the original break-in, destroy Nixon's presidency?
Your turn1 of 2
In 1972, burglars connected to Nixon's reelection campaign broke into the Democratic National Committee's offices at the Watergate complex. Two years later, Nixon resigned the presidency. Why did a break-in at a single office building end up forcing that resignation?The 1973 Oil Crisis
- How it worksShow me OPEC's oil embargo cutting supply to the US and sending gas prices climbing through 1973 and 1974.
- Going furtherWhat happens to American car design once buyers start shopping for fuel efficiency instead of size?
- How it worksHow did long gas lines and rationed sales by license plate number reorganize a driver's whole week?
Your turn1 of 2
In 1973, OPEC's oil-producing nations cut oil exports to the United States and other countries supporting Israel during that year's war. Why did a decision made by oil ministers overseas leave American drivers waiting in gas lines at home?The End of the Vietnam War
- How it worksShow me Vietnamization shifting the fighting back onto South Vietnamese troops as US forces pull out after 1969.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 the moment the Vietnam War actually came to an end?
- How it worksWalk me through the fall of Saigon in 1975 and the helicopter evacuations from the US embassy roof.
Your turn1 of 2
The Paris Peace Accords, signed in January 1973, removed the last US combat troops from Vietnam. Saigon didn't fall until 1975. Why isn't the 1973 agreement the moment the Vietnam War actually came to an end?The Reagan Revolution
- Going furtherWhat happens to the federal budget deficit once tax cuts and higher defense spending both take effect at once?
- How it worksShow me supply-side economics arguing that tax cuts and deregulation should grow the economy enough to raise revenue anyway.
- How it worksHow did Reagan's massive defense buildup pressure the Soviet Union into a costly arms race it could not afford?
Your turn1 of 2
Reagan argued that cutting income tax rates, especially for higher earners, would ultimately grow the economy rather than just shrink government revenue. What was the reasoning behind that argument?The End of the Cold War
- How it worksShow me communist governments collapsing across Eastern Europe within months of each other in 1989.
- How it worksHow did Gorbachev's reforms glasnost and perestroika loosen Soviet control just enough for the system to unravel?
- Worked exampleTrace the Soviet Union splitting into 15 separate independent countries by the end of 1991.
- Ties togetherHow does the Soviet collapse in 1991 close out four decades of a Cold War fought since 1945?
Your turn1 of 2
For decades, many expected the Berlin Wall would only come down through war. Instead, it fell in 1989 largely peacefully, as mass protests swept East Germany. Why did it come down without the invasion so many had expected?