In this course we will explore the political, cultural, economic and social changes which took place between 1970 and 1979. Taking a thematic approach, we will consider many of the key developments of the period, including the collapse of the Bretton Woods economic system, the global oil crisis, and the rise of neoconservatism. This course will cover the experience of the 1970s on a global scale, linking developments in North America and Western Europe, with those in the Middle East and the Eastern bloc. The focus throughout will be on the way that international forces affected ordinary people throughout the decade, considering how shifts in racial, gender and social norms influenced the lives of people in Canada and elsewhere. We’ll discover that the history of the 1970s is more than just flared jeans and disco music; it’s the history of the world we live in today.
