Acid rain destroys forests in Scandinavia
and Germany.

The fight against pollution intensifies in the 1970s. The EU adopts laws to protect the environment, introducing the notion of ‘the polluter pays’ for the first time. Pressure groups such as Greenpeace are founded.

Oil crisis in 1973/74 - Cars queue
for scarce petrol.

Following an Arab-Israeli war in October 1973, Middle East oil-producing nations impose big price increases and restrict sales to certain European countries. This creates economic problems throughout the EU.

The overthrow of the Salazar regime in Portugal in 1974 and the death of General Franco of Spain in 1975 end the last right-wing dictatorships in Europe. Both countries commit themselves to democratic government — an important step towards qualifying for future membership of the EU.

Aldo Moro (left), became a prominent
victim of 1970s terrorism.

The murder of former Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, in 1978 is one of many acts of terrorism carried out by extremist groups in the 1970s. Among the victims are leading lawyers, businessmen and politicians, as well as 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games (1972).

Clothes and accessories of the 1970s.

Youth styles get more exotic in the early 1970s. Pop stars, whose audiences are getting younger, are a big influence. Some young women swap their miniskirts for even briefer ‘hot pants’, but most teenagers wear trousers with wide flares at the bottom. They also wear thick-soled platform boots. Most extreme are the punks, with spiky hair, sometimes dyed orange, and a craze for body-piercing.