History Forum is back!

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Lansdowne History Forum 

2023-2024 

America and the World in the 1970s

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This year we will focus on major events, both domestic and international, from the foreign policy legacy of Nixon and Kissinger to the Iran Hostage Crisis, that continue to have a significant impact on our politics and international relations.

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Sept. 21 Nixon and Kissinger 

We will examine the foreign policy legacy of Nixon and Kissinger from the Paris Peace treaty ending the Vietnam War to establishing Detente with the Soviet Union and opening up relations with China

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Oct. 19 The Yom Kippur War 

In the first three Arab-Israeli wars, Israel had humiliated the Arab combatants, but the Yom Kippur War revealed Israel’s particular vulnerabilities and would ultimately lead to the beginnings of an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process and the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978 

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Nov. 16 Opec and the Oil Embargo 

The Arab members of OPEC, in retaliation for US military support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War, imposed an oil embargo on the United States which would have Serious repercussions for the American economy and our domestic politics 

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Jan. 18 The Equal Rights Amendment 

After the fight to gain for women the right to vote, the Equal Rights Amendment Represented the most significant movement for gender equality in American History. It ultimately failed to achieve ratification 

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Feb. 15 The Attica Prison Riots 

Attica prisoners took 39 hostages and staged a demand for prison reform. It ended in a bloody assault by law enforcement that led to the largest number Of fatalities in the history of prison uprisings 

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Mar. 21 The Killing Fields of Pol Pot 

Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Party led a government Reign of Terror that Resulted in the death of over one million Cambodians. It was one of the worst Atrocities of the 20th Century 

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Apr. 18 The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 

The Soviets were mired in Afghanistan for a decade. It would become their Vietnam and would play a significant role in the collapse of the Soviet Union

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May 16 The Rise of the Moral Majority and the Culture Wars 

The Moral Majority was a Christian Conservative political organization, led by Rev. Jerry Falwell, that decried the decay in America’s values and advocated support for traditional Christian values in American politics 

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June 20 The Iran Hostage Crisis 

The Iran Hostage Crisis represented a devastating close to a difficult decade And would, in many ways, redefine our relations in the Middle East and pave the Way for the Reagan Revolution