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American History - Ben > Domestic politics (1945-75) > Flashcards

Domestic politics (1945-75) Flashcards

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1
Q

5

Describe the policy platforms of all Presidents from 1945-74

A
  • Truman - Fair Deal
  • Ike - dynamic conservatism
  • JFK - New Frontier
  • LBJ - Great Society, ‘war on poverty’
  • Nixon - New Federalism (federal powers shifted to states)
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2
Q

4

Describe issues facing Truman in 1945

A
  • Shadow of FDR who had reshaped role of state intervention, international involvement and Democrat Party
  • Impact of WW2
  • Labour relations
  • 1946 mid-terms
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3
Q

4

List Truman domestic policy

A
  • Full Employment Bill 1945
  • Rapid reconversion
  • Labour relations
  • Fair Deal
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4
Q

3

Describe the impact of the 1946 mid-terms

A
  • Republican majorities in both houses
  • Caused Presidential/Congressional gridlock
  • Truman nicknamed it the ‘Do Nothing Congress’
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5
Q

4

Describe Truman’s Full Employment Bill 1945

A
  • Bill declared full employment to be a right
  • Required government to ensure jobs were available
  • Bill included increased social security payments, higher minimum wage, farm price support and public works programmes
  • Formed Employment Act 1946
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6
Q

3

Describe limits to the Employment Act 1946

A
  • Republicans/Conservative Democrats opposed to socialist measures of bill
  • wording of bill watered down to remove federal committment to ‘full employment’
  • opposed to wider proposals to extend FEPC, initiate national health insurance and expand social security system

FEPC - Fair Employment Practices Commission

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7
Q

2

Describe labour relations by 1945

A
  • Unions gain considerable power in WW2
  • Full employment meant strikebreakers couldn’t be brought in
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8
Q

3

Describe rapid reconversion under Truman

A
  • Truman called for quick military demobilisation
  • Inevitably floundered due to difficulty of objectives
  • Aimed to maintain full employment, increase production of consumer goods, initiate cordial industrial relations in short term
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9
Q

4

Describe progressive labour relations under Truman

A
  • Aug 1945, announced he would maintain price controls but relaxed rules to allow unions to pursue higher wages
  • Nov 1945, called special labour-management conference in attempt to deter any further stike action
  • Vetoed Taft-Harley Act 1947
  • Called 1948 special session of Congress to pass various ND-style measures (though failed)
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10
Q

5

Describe restrictive labour relations under Truman

A
  • April 1945, United Mine Workers announced strike for pay increase
  • Railroad strike
  • Recommended compulsory arbitration after series of strike in steel, coal, automobile and railroad industries across 1945-46
  • Inc 750k steel workers, 93k meat packers
  • Failed to prevent passage of Taft-Harley Act 1947
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11
Q

5

Describe the railroad strike 1945

A
  • May 1945, railroads went on strike
  • Truman announced he would conscript striking railroad workers and have army operate railroad
  • Threatened to introduce legislation to impose severe penalties for breaking trade union laws
  • Rail strike called off after sizeable increase to railroad workforce
  • Yet demonstrated continued hostility to trade unions
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12
Q

3

Describe the Taft Harley Act 1947 (Labour Management Relations Act)

A
  • Red wave (congressional) in 1946
  • Act prohibited wildcat strikes, secondary boycotts, mass picketing, closed shops, etc
  • Truman veto overturned by Congress after significant congressional Democrat support
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13
Q

2

Describe increased opposition in the 1948 Presidential election

A
  • Henry Wallace, Truman’s predecessor as VP, set up Progressive Party
  • Strom Thurmond, conservative democrat Governor of SC, set up ‘Dixiecrat’ party opposed to Truman’s push for civil rights
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14
Q

3

Describe Truman in the 1948 Presidential Campaign

A
  • Went on 30k mile whistle-stop tour of USA
  • Promised ND-style measures (Fair Deal)
  • Criticsied ‘do nothing’ Republican Congress
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15
Q

3

Describe the results of the 1948 Presidential election

A
  • Opinion polls predicted easy victory for Dewey (Gov of NY)
  • Chicago Daily printed ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ headline
  • Truman easily defeated Dewey with 2m najority in pop vote
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16
Q

3

Describe the Fair Deal 1949

A
  • Now equipped with electoral mandate
  • Wide programme to expand welfare support
  • declared ‘every segment of our population and every individual has right to expect from our government a fair deal’
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17
Q

3

Describe the success of the Fair Deal

A
  • Moderately effective public housing and slum-clearing bill in 1949
  • 1949, minimum wage raised from 40c to 75c an hour
  • 1950, significant expansion of Social Security - extended insurance coverage to 10m additional individuals
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18
Q

3

Describe the failures of the Fair Deal

A
  • National Health Insurance and repeal of Taft-Harley resisted by conservative Congress
  • Southern Democrats fillibustered civil rights legislation
  • ‘Brannan Plan’ to provide income support to small farmers replaced by less effective program to continue price supports
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19
Q

3

Describe ‘dynamic conservativism’

A
  • Eisenhower middle-way ideology
  • Economically conservative, socially liberal
  • Small state - possible due to rising prosperity
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20
Q

4

Describe praise of Eisenhower’s political style

A
  • Embodied strong military leadership in face of rising Communist threat
  • Let experienced cabinet ministers dictate much policy
  • Co-operated well with Congress controlled by Democrats for 6/8 years of Presidency to achieve numerous legislative victories
  • Left office with net 31% approval, far above Truman’s -24% approval
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21
Q

2

Describe criticism of Eisenhower’s political style

A
  • seen as ‘do nothing’ President that preferred to play golf
  • 3 Cabinet Ministers were car industry millionaires
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22
Q

7

Describe legislative successes under Eisenhower

A
  • Ended wage/price controls, reduced farm subsidies
  • Created NASA in 1958 following Soviet launch of first space satellite, Sputnik, in 1957
  • Atomic Energy Act 1954 to encourage peaceful use of nuclear power
  • continued most ND/FD programmes
  • 1956, raised minimum wage from 75c to $1
  • Created Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953
  • Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956

both expanded and shrank state

FD - Fair Deal

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23
Q

5

Describe failures under Eisenhower

A
  • Accussed of overly-representing Big Business
  • Military-industrial complex only grew despite Eisenhower’s warnings
  • Spending policies permitted by rising prosperity of time
  • Showed little sympathy for civil rights (though supported SC ruling in Brown v Board of Education 1954)
  • Criticism of Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956
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24
Q

2

Describe road construction under Eisenhower

A
  • Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956
  • Large sums spent on completion of St Lawrence Seaway (linked Great Lakes to Atlantic)
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25
Q

4

Describe the Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956

A
  • Created interstate highway system
  • Largest public works programme in US History
  • $25bn to construct 41k miles of road over 10-year period
  • Original principle aim of bill to facilitate rapid evacuation in the event of nuclear attack
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26
Q

1

Describe criticism of the Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956

A
  • Accussed of displacing black communities
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27
Q

4

Describe developments that encouraged McCarthyism

A
  • China fell to Communism in 1949
  • The development of the Cold War in Europe
  • Increasing US involvement in Asia, particularly in the Korean War
  • Spying scandals
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28
Q

4

Describe the domestic reaction to China’s fall to communism in 1949

A
  • Unexpected and criticism that State department should have done more to prevent it
  • Pat McCarran (Democrat Senator from NV) a key figure in in Senate Internal Security Subcommittee
  • tried to persuade people that China’s fall was a result of secret Communist infilitrators within State department
  • ‘China lobby’ created to campaign for detailed investigation into failings of USA
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29
Q

4

Describe McCarthyism

A
  • Ruthless witch-hunt against communist suspects in State Department through Senate Government Operations Committee
  • Mass removal of suspects from goverment posts
  • FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover would remove American Communists from positions of power
  • Followed previous media interrogation of Charlie Chaplin and others in 1940s
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30
Q

4

Describe spying in the USA that caused the 1950s ‘Red Scare’

A
  • 1938, Whittaker Chambers (Time Magazine editor) produced evidence in court that Alger Hiss (senior State department official highly involved at Yalta Conference) has handed over copies of secret documents to Soviets
  • 1950, German physicist involved in Manhattan Project, Klaus Fuchs, convicted of giving nuclear secrets to USSR
  • 1953, Scientists Julius and Ethel Rosenburg executed for leaking atomic secrets to Communists despite little evidence supporting latter’s involvement
  • Soviets later claimed they had 221 operatives spying in various branches of US Government
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31
Q

4

Describe the Loyalty Review Board

A
  • Introduced by Truman in 1947
  • Any government employee found to be sympathetic to ‘subversive organisations’ could be fired
  • by 1951, 1.2k dismissed and 6k resigned
  • 110 communist-supporting organisations banned
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32
Q

1

Describe the use of the 1940 Smith Act under Truman

A
  • 11 Communist Party leaders prosecuted
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33
Q

3

Describe the rise of Joseph McCarthy

A
  • junior Republican senator from Wisconsin
  • won praise for Feb 1950 speech alleging State Department was infested with spies, despite lacking evidence
  • 1953-55, chaired Senate Government Operations Committee
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34
Q

2

Describe support of McCarthy

A
  • Won support from American Legion (veterans campaign group) and Christian Fundamentalists
  • Also won support from less-educated, less prosperous Americans that rallied against wealthy State Department bureaucrats
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35
Q

3

Describe the criticism of progressive policies under McCarthyism

A
  • ND/FD measures seen as communist
  • Civil rights measires, UN support, redistributive welath policies attacked
  • One Indiana school librarian famously banned Robin Hood books as robbing rich to give to poor seen as communist
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36
Q

6

Describe the downfall of McCarthyism

A
  • Accussed of bullying and fabricating evidence
  • McCarthy criticised eminetly-respected General George Mashall
  • 1954 investigation into army seemed to contradict recent full-scale military action against Communists in Korea
  • President and former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Eisenhower criticised army investigation
  • Censured by Senate following attempts to gain preferential treatment for an aide drafted into military
  • Fell into obscurity and died in 1957 from alcoholism

Censure - formal statement of dissaproval, though not removal

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37
Q

6

Describe the reasons why Kennedy won in 1960

A
  • Youthful image of New York Lawyer (43 years)
  • Desire for change inherent in ‘New Frontier’
  • Criticism of catholic roots had waned by 1960
  • Use of MLK’s popularity
  • Catholic Irish roots gave him underdog status
  • TV debates
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38
Q

3

Describe the Kennedy family

A
  • Joseph Kennedy (Father) was millionaire who served as US Ambassador to Britain
  • Provided heavy financial backing for campaign
  • Robert Kennedy was former member of McCarthy team and a political hack
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39
Q

4

Describe how MLK’s popularity contributed to JFK’s 1960 victory

A
  • Oct 1960, MLK arrested for trying to desegregate after Atlanta sit-ins
  • JFK phoned MLK’s wife to offer support
  • RFK used influence to obtain’s MLK’s release
  • Well-publicised and won AA support weeks before election
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40
Q

5

Describe TV debates in the 1960 election

A
  • First televised presidential debate
  • watched by 70m Americans
  • 87% of Americans had TV by 1960
  • JFK used blue suit to stand out and appeared more confident against erratic Nixon in grey suit
  • radio listeners felt Nixon won; TV viewers felt JFK won (demonstrating power of image)
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41
Q

2

Describe the impact of TV debates in the 1960 election

A
  • studies showed that debate made up mind of 4m voters, 3m of which decided on JFK
  • important given JFK pipped Nixon by just over 100k votes in election
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42
Q

4

List members of Kennedy’s New Deal Coalition

A
  • Labour unions
  • Blue-collar workers
  • racial/religious minorities
  • liberal white Southerners and intellectuals
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43
Q

3

Describe Kennedy’s New Frontier

A
  • Vague election slogan transformed into reformist platform
  • Aimed to make a fairer society and extend equal rights to AAs
  • Reorganised central government to do this
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44
Q

2

Describe the ‘Brains Trust’

A
  • Included brightest young experts from American universities
  • Hoped they generate new ideas to tackle America’ fundamental issues
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45
Q

4

Describe positives in JFK’s civil rights policies

A
  • Appointed 5 federal judges, including Thurgood Marshall, a leading civil rights activist, 1961
  • Oct 1962, sent 23k troops to ensure that James Meredith, a black student, could attend Univeristy of Mississippi
  • Feb 1963, introduced Civil Rights bIll to extend equal rights to housing and education
  • 1963, threatened legal action against Louisiana for refusing to fund desegregated schools
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46
Q

3

Describe negatives in JFK’s civil rights policies

A
  • Civil Rights Bill defeated by Congress
  • Hesitant to alienate conservative base in South, unlike LBJ
  • Unemployment twice as high among AAs
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47
Q

6

Describe positives in JFK’s economic policy

A
  • Tax cut proposals in 1963
  • Public Works Act 1962
  • Manpower Development and Training Act 1962
  • Limited prices/wages to tame inflation
  • Increased defence and space technology spending, creating jobs e.g. Telstar Act 1962
  • Promised to put a ‘man on the moon’ by end of decade in 1961 speech
48
Q

2

Describe JFK’s tax cut proposals

A

Proposed to cut…
* income taxes from range of 20-91% to 14-65%
* corporation tax from 52% to 47%

49
Q

1

Describe the Public Works Act 1962

A
  • Public works programmes totalling $900m
50
Q

1

Describe the Manpower Development and Training Act 1962

A
  • Grants to high-tech companies to invest in equipment to train workers
51
Q

1

Describe the Telstar Act 1962

A
  • Gave federal spending to develop satellite technology
52
Q

3

Describe negatives in JFK’s economic policy

A
  • Little to tackle tradition industrial unemployment due to $295bn debt by 1963
  • Unemployment twice as high among AAs
  • Boom heavily depedent on continued government spending
53
Q

5

Describe the positives of JFK’s social reforms

A
  • Tenure saw minimum wage increase from $1 to $1.25
  • Manpower Development and Training Act 1962 provided retraining for long-term unemployed to adjust for technological change
  • Area Redevelopment Act 1961 provided $394m loans/grants to private sector to stimlate job creation
  • Housing Act 1961 provided cheap loans for inner-city redevelopment
  • Social Security Act 1962 provided greater financial support to elderly, unemployed and children with unemployed fathers
54
Q

4

Describe the negatives of JFK’s social reforms

A
  • Medicare system thrown out by Congress
  • Slum clearance created housing shortages in inner-cities
  • Housing crunch saw poorest unable to pay mortgage
  • Minimum wage increase came to no aid of unemployed
55
Q

3

Describe the failings of the New Frontier

A
  • Acheived little due to focus on FP and vagueness of policy platform
  • Most fervent opposition came from Southern Democrats, who feared that expansion of black franchise would erode their support base
  • More impactful reforms didn’t come until LBJ’s ascession
56
Q

4

Describe the background of LBJ

A
  • Southern Democrat from Texas
  • Congressional veteran who had led Senate Democrats from 1953-61
  • known as ‘Great Persuader’
  • Chosen as running-mate in 1960 to balance youthfulness and northerness of Kennedy
57
Q

3

Describe the issues facing LBJ in 1963

A
  • Had 11 months to deliver JFK’s New Frontier
  • Rumours he would be displaced as running-mate in 1964
  • internal criticism within Government
58
Q

2

Describe internal criticism of LBJ in 1963

A
  • Coarse Texas way of speaking and supposed lack of education (despite being most well-read in Washington) mocked by Eastern liberlas
  • Long-standing feud with Bobby Kennedy stemming from 1960 running-mate selection
59
Q

1

What did LBJ do to JFK’s cabinet?

A
  • invites all members to retain place, including RFK
60
Q

3

Describe civil rights legislation/rulings under LBJ

A
  • Civil Rights Act 1964
  • Voting Rights Act 1965
  • Loving v Virginia (1967) - SC ruling struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriage
61
Q

5

Describe the Civil Rights Act 1964

A
  • Stagnated under JFK due to congressional deadlock
  • Bill passed into law by LBJ, who held considerable political capital among Southern Democrats
  • Banned discrimination based on race and gender in employment and in federally-assisted programmes
  • ended segregation in public places
  • LBJ faced down powerful opposition such as Richard Russell Jr (Governor of Georgia)
62
Q

3

Describe the Voting Rights Act 1965

A
  • Banned literacy tests and other disenfranchising methods
  • Appointed agents to ensure voting procedures were carried out properly
  • By end of 1966, only 4/13 southern states had fewer than 50% of AAs registered to vote
63
Q

1

Describe the impact of civil rights legislation under LBJ

A
  • Number of AA living below poverty line fell by over 50%
64
Q

5

Describe economic policy under Johnson

A
  • Revenue Act 1964
  • omnibus Economic Opportunity Act 1964
  • Appalachian Recovery Programme 1965
  • Programme to provide additional education for very young, poor children to widen opprtunity
  • Minimum wage increased from $1.25 to $1.40 an hour
65
Q

2

Describe the Revenue Act 1964

A
  • Reduced top rate of federal income tax from 91% to 70%
  • below JFK tax cut proposals (1963) of a 65% top rate
66
Q

3

Describe the Economic Opportunity Act 1964

A
  • established ‘job corps’ to provide vocational training for those aged 16-21
  • VISTA recruited volunteers to states, local agencies and private non-profits to perform duties to combat poverty
  • Schools in improverished areas recieved volunteer teaching attention

VISTA - Volunteers in service to America

67
Q

1

Describe the Appalachian Regional Development Act 1965

A
  • Provided federal funds for development of mounainous areas in Eastern states
68
Q

1

Describe the impact of LBJ’s economic policy

A
  • by 1966, number of families with incomes of at least $7k reached 55%, compared with 22% in 1950
69
Q

9

Describe social legislation under LBJ

A
  • Wilderness Protection Act 1964
  • Medical Aid Act 1965
  • Immigration and Nationality Act 1965
  • National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities Act 1965
  • Civil Rights legislation
  • Education legislation
  • Housing legislation
  • Congress passed stronger Air and Water Quality Acts to tighten pollution controls
  • Safety standards raised in consumer products
70
Q

1

Describe the Wilderness Protection Act 1964

A
  • Saved 9.1m acres of forestland from industrial development
71
Q

2

Describe the Medical Aid Act 1965

A
  • provided Medicare (for old) and Medicaid (for poor) to offset healthcare costs
  • 25m Americans given access to decent healthcare for first time
72
Q

1

Describe the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965

A
  • Removed long-standing discriminatory quotas based on ehtnic origin
73
Q

2

Describe the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities 1965

A
  • Public funds for artists and galleries
  • granted $2.5m in first fiscal year
74
Q

2

Describe education legislation under LBJ

A
  • Higher Education Act 1965 - expanded access to college courses
  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965
75
Q

2

Describe the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965

A
  • Provided first major federal support for American public schools
  • Aimed to ensure equal education standards in all states
76
Q

2

Describe housing legislation under LBJ

A
  • Housing and Urban Development Act 1965
  • Model Cities Act 1966
77
Q

3

Describe the Housing and Urban Development Act 1965

A
  • Greatly expanded funding for exisiting federal housing programmes
  • Provided authority for families qualifying for public housing to be placed in empty private housing
  • Created Housing and Urban Development cabinet-level post
78
Q

3

Describe the Model Cities Act 1966

A
  • Provided federal funds for slum clearance
  • Better provision of services in dilapitated city centres
  • Continued JFK policy of urban renewal
79
Q

3

Describe opposition to Johnson’s Great Society

A
  • Republicans criticised welfare spending that undermined ‘rugged individualism’, especially in health
  • Exacerbated by Vietnam War spending, which was costing $77.4bn annually by 1968
  • Oubreak of violence in late 1960s confirmed social friction despite progressive policies
80
Q

1

Describe limits to opposition to Johnson’s Great Society

A
  • Opposition to LBJ focussed on FP rather than domestic policy (unlike JFK and predecessors)
81
Q

1

What agency was responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programmes?

A

Office of Economic Opportunity

82
Q

1

What is the Southern Strategy?

A
  • Political realignment where Republican leaders consciously appealed to racial grievances of white Southerners to gain their electoral support
83
Q

3

Describe the return of Nixon in 1968

A
  • 1962, ‘Time’ magazine wrote Nixon’s ‘political career was over’ following unsuccessful 1962 gubernatorial campaign in CA
  • 1968 Republican Convention saw Nixon elected on first ballot
  • Confirmed political rehabilitation of ‘New Nixon’ who had quitely rebuilt his credibiliy
84
Q

4

Describe the image of Nixon in 1968

A
  • Positioned himself as moderate who could appeal to ‘silent majority’
  • Had been born into poor family in Quakers, California
  • Opposed ‘unpatriotism’ of violent direct action and left-wing movement
  • Appealed to growing conservatism of older voters
85
Q

3

Describe Nixon’s policies in 1968

A
  • Appealed to ‘Middle America’ concerned by Great Society
  • Promised ‘peace with honour’ in Vietnam
  • Keen to exploit Southern Strategy
86
Q

4

Describe the Crisis of the Democrat Party in 1968

A
  • March 1968, LBJ announced shock exit from Presidential race following increasing discontent over Vietnam
  • ‘Old politics’ of Johnson, Humphrey v ‘New politics’ of RFK, E. McCarthy
  • June 1968, Bobby Kennedy assassinated immediately following CA and SD primary victories by anti-Zionist man
  • Democratic National Conference 1968

SD - South Dakota

87
Q

4

Describe the Democratic National Conference 1968

A
  • VP Humphrey v Eugene McCarthy
  • Richard Haley, mayor of Chicago, accussed of permitting police brutality
  • Violence in conference hall and streets broadcast on TV
  • Chaos damaged prospects of winning
88
Q

2

Describe the failings of VP Hebert Humphrey in the 1968 election

A
  • Too moderate for angry idealists backing Senator Eugene McCarthy
  • Supported Vietnam War, though less so than Johnson
89
Q

1

What did LBJ do shortly before the 1968 election?

A

October 1968, made peace offer to North Vietnam, creating an atmosphere of instability

90
Q

1

Describe evidence against the Southern Strategy in the 1968 election

A

Dixiecrat George Wallace won 5 Southern states

91
Q

3

Describe the issues facing Nixon in 1968

A
  • Increasing polarisation between youthful liberals and hardening older conservatives
  • 1968 elections had given Democrats majorities in both houses
  • Vietnam
92
Q

5

Describe Nixon’s political machine

A
  • Placed capable loyal administrators at key advisory positions
  • Chief of Staff - ‘Bob’ Haldeman
  • Assistant to President in Domestic Affairs - John Ehrlichman
  • Known collectively as ‘Berlin Wall’ to journalists for tight administrative control of government
  • Later appointed Kissinger as simultaneous Sec of State and NSA from 1973-77
93
Q

3

Describe Nixon’s family assistance plan

A
  • 1969, introduced Family Assistance Plan (FAP) which implemented negative income tax of $1.6k to replace Great Society benefits programmes for WC families
  • Rejected by Congress
  • Nevertheless, there was increased spending on social programmes introduced by Great Society

negative income tax - money transfer

94
Q

2

Decribe the Tax Reform Act 1969

A
  • Created Alternative Minimum Tax
  • Intended to tax high-earners who had previously avoided payment through exemptions
95
Q

3

Describe health care policy under Nixon

A
  • 1971, Nixon proposed Family Health Insurance Programme (FHIP)
  • All businesses with 1 (later revised to 10) or more employees required to provide standard health insurance to employees and families
  • Failed to gain congressional backing
96
Q

3

Describe Nixon’s environmental policy

A
  • Established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 - advised govt on environmental issues
  • Passed Clean Air Act 1970
  • Declared first ever Earth Day in 1972
97
Q

5

Describe Nixon’s regressive civil rights policy

A
  • Conservative race relations views
  • Encouraged VP Spiro Agnew to attack liberals and appeal to white Southerners
  • Slowed down implementation of desegregation of schools in Mississippi
  • Blocked moves to extend Voting Rights Act 1965
  • Appointed conservative Warren Burger as Chief Justice
98
Q

3

Describe limits to Nixon’s regressive civil rights policy

A
  • By 1971, there were 81 black mayors and 13 black congressmen
  • 1969 - 600k black students in mixed schools in South
  • 1970 - 3m black students in mixed schools in South
99
Q

3

Describe Nixon’s law and order policy

A
  • Used Justice Department to challenge activists
  • Huston Plan 1970
  • ‘plumbers’
100
Q

3

Describe the Huston Plan 1970

A
  • Plan would’ve allowed FBI and CIA to conduct wire-tapping and covert surveillance
  • Vetoed by J. Edgar Hoover to protect power of FBI
  • Nixon set up secret ‘plumbers’ in response
101
Q

3

Describe the ‘plumbers’

A
  • Secret intelligence unit within White House to stop leaks
  • Headed by Gordon Liddy (former FBI) and Howard Hunt (former CIA)
  • First operation was to target former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, who had leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press
102
Q

2

Describe Nixon’s conservative values

A
  • Espoused conservative rhetoric in 1968 to ‘silent majority’
  • Attacked George McGovern as ‘ultra-liberal’ in 1972 election
103
Q

2

Describe limits to Nixon’s conservative values

A
  • 2nd SC appointment, Harry Blackmun, became considerably liberal in rulings and decisive in Roe v Wade 1973
  • Policy reminiscent of Johnson’s Great Society
104
Q

3

Describe the 1972 election

A
  • Had focussed on FP successes which had dominated first term
  • Nixon won landslide, carrying 49 states
  • Despite high polling ratings, George Wallace’s democratic primary attempt derailed by assassination attempt
105
Q

4

Describe the Pentagon Papers

A
  • Released 1971
  • Top secret Department of Defence study on US political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945-67
  • Revealed that successive administrations from Truman-Johnson had misled public over involvement
  • e.g. Eisenhower administration actively worked against Geneva Accords
106
Q

2

Describe ‘New Federalism’

A
  • Nixon’s policy of decentralising programmes and powers of Fed Govt to state and locally elected officials
  • Created 10 regional councils containing top regional officials from 9 federal agencies/departments to organise grants, regulation, etc
107
Q

3

Describe CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President)

A
  • 1972, Nixon set up CREEP following concerns he would not be re-elected
  • Set aside $350k for ‘dirty tricks’
  • Encouraged to use whatever methods necessary
108
Q

4

Describe the Watergate complex break-in

A
  • June 1972, 5 CREEP members arrested for breaking into DNC HQ at Watergate Office Building and attempting to plant bugging devices
  • 2 Washington Post journalists Bernstein and Woodward published discovery that individuals were CREEP members and that CREEP was controlled by White House
  • Nixon denied all involvement by him or advisors
  • Jan 1973, Watergate burglars went on trial and all convicted
109
Q

4

Describe the investigation of the Watergate break-in

A
  • March 1973, James McCord (one of the burglars) claimed in court there had been a WH cover up
  • Nixon denied personal involvement, but admitted Haldeman and Erlichman had been involved, who subsequently resigned
  • Senate Committee set up to investigate scandal from May-November 1973
  • John Dean, WH official, claimed there had been cover-up by Nixon
110
Q

4

Describe Nixon’s tape-recorded conversations

A
  • A White House aide told the committee that Nixon had recorded all White House conversations since 1971
  • Nixon tried to avoid providing the tapes and provided heavily-edited 7/9 tapes
  • One tape had 18 mins missing
  • Eventually forced to provide all unedited tapes
111
Q

3

Describe the aftermath of the reveal of Nixon’s providing of tapes

A
  • Revealed dirty tricks campaign
  • Had repeatedly lied throughout investigation
  • Excessive foul language undermined dignity of elder statesman reputation
112
Q

5

Describe the resignation of Nixon

A
  • July 1974, Congress moved to impeach Nixon
  • 8 Aug 1974, Nixon resigned in televised broadcast to avoid impeachment
  • Ford fatally issued immediate decree pardoning ‘Tricky Dicky’
  • 31 of Nixon’s team served sentences for Watergate-related offences
  • Carter elected in 1976 promising to never lie
113
Q

4

Describe the reduction to executive power that followed the Watergate scandal

A
  • War Powers Act 1973
  • Election Campaign Act 1974
  • Privacy Act 1974
  • Congressional Budget Act 1974
114
Q

1

Describe the War Powers Act 1973

A
  • Required President to consult Congress before sending American forces into combat
115
Q

1

Describe the Election Campaign Act 1974

A
  • set limits on electoral contributions to prevent corruption
116
Q

1

Describe the Privacy Act 1974

A
  • Allowed US citizens to acess any files Government held on them
117
Q

Describe the Congressional Budget Act 1974

A
  • President could not use Federal funds for personal purposes

American History - Ben (22 decks)

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