The Vietnam War, Foreign Policy, And Economic Crisis

The 1970’s is often times referred to as a bummer decade. They were full of disillusionment, diminished expectations, and suspicion of government. Some causes for this attitude include: the Vietnam War, unreliable foreign policy, and economic crisis. Therefore, many Americans lost all faith in their government on November 4, 1979 when the report came that the American Iranian embassy had been overrun. This lack of trust is referred to as the â€Å"credibility gap†, but after ten years, this gap had grown into a gorge that many believed was not fillable. Both the Energy Crisis and the Vietnam War played a vital role in conditioning America’s response to the Iranian hostage crisis and overall liberal consensus. By the 1970’s, America had become increasingly dependent on fossil fuels such as oil. Oil was used for many things such as: gasoline. While consumer use of gas was rising, the domestic production of oil was declining. To counter this, America had to r ely heavily on importing foreign oil, but this proved disastrous. In 1973 America got involved in the Yom Kippur war. We played the role of resupplying Israel in their fight against Egypt, Syria, and the Soviets. Therefore, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) drastically increased the price of oil and placed an embargo on oil being sent to the United States. The cost per barrel of oil quadrupled. Americans were hit with augmented fuel prices and less available fuel. OPEC’s oil embargo hurt both theShow MoreRelatedFrom The Dropping Of The Atomic Bombs On Japan In 19451498 Words   |  6 PagesFrom the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the United States of America has pursued a foreign policy of containment to curb the spread of Soviet communism throughout the world. 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