User:Elconductor1453/Greatest Decade

The Greatest Decade is a characterization of the period from Robert F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1964 until the start of the Oil Crisis in 1970. During this time, the United States experienced an enormous increase in its global influence in political, economic, and cultural terms, while implementing a series of welfare programs, civil rights legislation, and financial reforms and regulations and recovering territory lost during the Second World War.

Origin of the phrase
The term was coined by Representative Bernie Sanders during the 1996 National Progressive Party Convention to describe the major civil rights advances made during the presidency of Robert Kennedy in a speech criticizing the failure of the government to prosecute police officers involved in several instances of police brutality, leading to rioting in many urban centers. He questioned why the government had not pursued legal action against the officers: "In 1967, Bobby Kennedy established the National Ethics Committee to ensure that the police would not be held above the law, so that the most vulnerable citizens of our nation would not find themselves governed by tyranny in a country that enshrines freedom as its greatest virtue. If this party is to confront the lingering effects of racism and authoritarianism, we cannot allow the institutions of the Greatest Decade to rot and decay while these vile ideals continue to fester."

Foreign Policy Success
Notable successes of the Greatest Decade include the entry of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Italy into the Organisation of Free Nations, the decolonisation of German Africa, and the defeat of Japanese-aligned governments in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Following the renegotiation of the Akagi Accords, Hawaii was returned to the United States. In general, during this period, liberal factions, armed and supplied by American weapons, defeated groups supported by Nazi Germany and the Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Creation of the American welfare state
Landmark legislation passed under the RFK administration include the Civil Rights Act, the Social Security Act, the National Healthcare Act, and the Economic Opportunity Act. These laws, along with other programs and regulations, established the American welfare state.

African Decolonisation
Critics have argued that American actions in Africa, especially during the West African War, prevented Africans from exercising their right to self-determination, replacing direct rule by foreign powers with economic control by foreign companies. Others, most notably linguist Noam Chomsky, have compared war crimes committed by American and OFN personnel during the Mandate Period with atrocities perpetuated by the Hüttig regime.

Role of CIA in regime change
The leaking of classified CIA documents revealed CIA involvement in the establishment of the Romulo Dictatorship, as well as rigged elections in Malaysia following the end of the Japanese Occupation. The failure of Operation Checkmate heralded the end of the good fortunes of the United States, and set the stage for multiple costly wars in the Middle East.