UK and US contemporaryhistory

HISTORY

society

• 1960s: international spread of English language literary and cultural influence abroad.

• 1970s: global economic slowdown and industrial strife.

• 1980s: economic growth due to the inflow of substantial North Sea oil revenues.

1. Great Britain

UK and USA history

The Beatles

An oil platform in the North Sea

The Prose and the Passion

1979-1990: premiership of Margaret Thatcher a significant change of direction from the post-war policy.

1997-2009: New Labour governments (Blair and Brown) continued this change.

UK and USA history

1. Great Britain

Gordon Brown (left) and Tony Blair (right)

Margaret Thatcher

The Prose and the Passion

4th May 1979: Thatcher (right wing of the Conservative Party) became Prime Minister.

She tried to solve UK’s economic decline and to reduce the role of the state in economy.

UK and USA history

2. Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher.

The Prose and the Passion

She advocated:

1. greater independence of the

individual from the state.

2. a higher level of influence and

leadership in international affairs

(Falklands War).

She was a very close ally with US

President Ronald Reagan, (elected

in 1980).

UK and USA history

2. Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan

The Prose and the Passion

1973: UK entered the European Economic Community.

1992: UK signed the Maastricht Treaty which gave birth to the European Union.

Labour governments actions: favouring fewer powers and competencies being transferred to the EU.

1990s: pre-legislative referenda and creation of devolved national administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

UK and USA history

3. Integration with EU and devolutions

The Prose and the Passion

1947-1991: Cold War started between the United States and Soviet Union.

The USA controlled the military affairs of Europe through NATO, while the Soviet Union did it through Warsaw Pact.

UK and USA history

4. United States of America

American and Soviet allies and areas of influence during the Cold War.

The Prose and the Passion

1961: the Soviets launched the first manned spaceflight.

1962: President Kennedy faced a tense nuclear showdown with Soviet forces in Cuba.

1969: the USA succeeded in sending two astronauts on to the Moon.

UK and USA history

Neil Armstrong on the surface of the Moon

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

Civil rights movement led by African Americans (Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks) fought against segregation and discrimination.

1964-1965: Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act granted freedom for the blacks.

UK and USA history

Martin Luther King

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

1959-1975: Vietnam War.

A widespread countercultural movement grew, mixing opposition to war, black nationalism and feminism.

UK and USA history

An anti-war protest

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

1972-1974: Watergate scandal

the FBI, the Parliament and the

press discovered a series of crimes

and abuses committed by Nixon’s

staff.

The President was forced to resign.

1970s: Carter’s administration

marked by stagflation.

UK and USA history

The Watergate hotel in Washington

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

1980s: Ronald Reagan adopted major changes in taxation and spending priorities.

1991: the Soviet Union collapsed, thus ending the Cold War.

UK and USA history

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

1990s: Gulf War and Yugoslav

Wars helped the USA maintain the

position of a superpower.

September 11th, 2001: al-Qaeda

terrorists struck WTC in New York

and Pentagon in Washington DC.

2003: Bush administration invaded

Iraq.

UK and USA history

A photo shot from the 1991 Gulf War

The 9/11/2001 attack on World Trade Center

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

He has promised to provide:

a. tax cuts;

b. aids to cities and states;

c. the creation of jobs.

UK and USA history

November 2008: Barack Hussein Obama, a young, democratic, black man, elected the 44th U.S. President.

Barack Obama

4. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion

UK and USA history

He has promised to provide:

d. the reduction of Carbon emissions;

e. the improvement of health care;

f. the reduction of Bush’s administration deficit.

November 2008: Barack Hussein Obama, a young, Democratic, black man, elected the 44th U.S. President.

Barack Obama

5. United States of America

The Prose and the Passion