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Politically, the United States went through several changes during the nineteen seventies. For most of the sixties the nation was governed by liberal Democratic administrations. Then in nineteen sixty-eight a conservative Republican, Richard Nixon, was elected president. Nixon won a second term four years later, but had to resign in nineteen seventy-four because of the Watergate scandal. Nixon's vice president, Gerald Ford, took his place. Two years later, Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter, a Democrat who until then was little known nationally.
The election showed that Americans were angry with the Republican Party because of Watergate. But they soon became unhappy with President Carter. They blamed him for failing to improve the economy and for failing to end a crisis involving American hostages in Iran. He lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan. "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" President Ronald Reagan signs a major tax cut bill at his ranch near Santa Barbara, California Reagan, a Republican, won two terms and led the nation during most of the nineteen eighties. For many people, the Reagan years offered a renewed sense of economic opportunity. Reagan reduced taxes, which increased his popularity. But the national debt grew as he raised military spending to put pressure on the Soviet Union.
The self-centeredness of many people in the seventies and eighties gave rise to terms like the "me" generation." And there was the rise of "yuppies" -- young urban professionals remaking older neighborhoods in cities, often displacing poorer people. Popular entertainment at that time was often about financial success. "Premiering Sunday, April second, 'Dallas,' where money buys power and passion breeds conflict..." "Dallas" was a television drama about a very rich Texas oil family. "Dallas" was a TV drama about a Texas oil family with more money, and more problems, than they knew what to do with. It became a hit not just in the United States but around the world. Actor Larry Hagman played JR. "Your daddy lacked the killer instinct. He forgave those who transgressed against him. People just weren't afraid of him. And he overlooked ol' JR's golden rules. "And what might they be?"
"Don't forgive and don't forget. And do unto others, before they do unto you. And, most especially, keep your eye on your friends, 'cause your enemies will take care of themselves. Oh, and one other thing – the oil business is a little bit like a poker game. It's good to get caught bluffing early on, 'cause, after that, somebody's gonna call you when you've got a winning hand." "Dynasty" was another popular series about rich people behaving badly. One of its stars was veteran actor John Forsythe. "Those banks are going to find out that they've got more than they can handle. Denver Carrington is Blake Carrington, and they'll come begging to me to run the company again. I know they will. And I'll make them get down on their knees when they come begging." There was also "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," a series about real-life wealthy people, hosted by Robin Leach. "Our bustling capital city combines the chic with the freak, the 'Oh, God' with the avant garde. So let's go 'upper deck' with a couple of my good friends, and run away with the rich and famous..."
And at the movie theater, there was the nineteen eighty-seven film "Wall Street." "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works." Michael Douglas played a character named Gordon Gecko, who earns his wealth by raiding companies and illegally trading on inside information. "Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed – you mark my words – will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A. Thank you very much." Good triumphed over evil in the "Rambo" action films starring Sylvester Stallone. He played a troubled hero who had fought in Vietnam. The films were violent. But they represented a more positive view than society had shown in the past toward veterans of that unpopular war.
In the nineteen eighties people came to fear a new disease that could be spread by sex or blood. It was the rise of the AIDS epidemic. At the same time a new drug -- crack cocaine -- started a wave of violence in American cities. Technology was also on the rise. "You don't have to be a genius to use a computer. Let Computer Land show you how easy it is to manage your own small business or home finances with the Atari Eight Hundred. Record keeping, information, communication, and a world of new ideas from Atari." Personal computers appeared in more and more offices, schools and homes. The nineteen eighties brought stardom to young entertainer Michael Jackson. And no history of the eighties would be complete without noting the rise of Music Television -- better known as MTV.
