Key Factors of the 1970s Stagflation:
- Oil Shocks: The OPEC oil embargo (1973) and the 1979 Iranian Revolution caused oil prices to skyrocket, dramatically raising production and consumer costs.
- High Inflation: Increased energy costs fueled broader inflation, impacting everything from manufacturing to everyday goods.
- Slow Growth & High Unemployment: Businesses cut back due to higher costs, leading to economic stagnation (slow GDP growth) and rising joblessness.
- Policy Challenges: Traditional economic tools (like lowering interest rates) worsened inflation, while aggressive rate hikes by the Fed (under Paul Volcker) eventually broke the cycle but caused a painful recession in the early 1980s.
Why it was significant:
- It defied traditional economic theory, where inflation and unemployment usually moved in opposite directions (Phillips Curve).
- It highlighted US vulnerability to energy supply disruptions and had lasting impacts on economic policy and public perception.
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