essay questions Flashcards
Was government unpopularity the main consequence of US involvement in Vietnam
Government unpopularity
-the Vietnam war contributed to Nixon’s heightened sense of paranoia his fear of this impacting his chances of re-election directly contributed to his engagement in political surveillance +political subversion which led to the Watergate scandal. This made the government unpopular as they Saw Nixon as untrustworthy and corrupt which decreased confidence in the presidency =first president to resign =approval rating tumbled to 24% at end of his presidency
-Nixon withdrew ground troops in Vietnam and tried to get North Vietnam to surrender through bombing Cambodia + Laos that were peaceful =this was seen by many as a escalation of the war=anti-war protests such as the state Kent uni protest = protesting over Vietnam US national guard killed 4 students symbolic of the division in public opinion about war in general, and the Vietnam War specifically.
Johnson lied to American public about the success of Vietnam however the tet offensive made it clear to the public he was lying =his approval ratings around 36% had no chance against ANTI WAR McCarthy with approval rating around 46% so he decided not to run
Economy
-between 65 and 73 $15.5 billion was spent on the Great society set up by LBJ (aims to free America from poverty racism educational reform) but spent 120 billion on Vietnam. This led to unpopular gov as many people were angry he was spending money on war many didn’t agree with (conflict between foreign affairs and domestic)
-Vietnam=tax increase inflation and a balance of payment deficit that weakened the dollar =primary war that increased fed gov deficit from 1.6 bil 65 to 25.3 bil 1968 =disillusionment with presidency and politics
Counterculture protests
-1967 stop the draft protests =several thousand Berkely students tried to close the Oakland draft centre 2000 police officers attacked students
-Nixon’s inauguration was marred by protestors
Many unis like Berkeley liberalised gov
Anti-war protests might have led to leaving Vietnam
How far was the news media the most significant influence on the decline in confidence in the American presidency in the years 1968-80
Scandals
-Nixon due to fear of not being re elected due to press discovering bombing Cambodia and unpopular Vietnam war =Watergate scandal =decreased confidence =media outlets like Washington post reported on it frequently with bob Woodward and berstientr being first to report on it
-ford pardoned Nixon which reinforced to the American people the corruption in government and decreased faith in the presidency =approval ratings dropped from 71% to 49
-Carter action towards 1979 Iran hostage crisis =carters ineffective military rescue and failed arms deal= weak =increased by nightly coverage of the crisis with the media reporting the failed rescue attempts
By 1979 41% of Americans thought country was in deep serious trouble
MEDIA CATALYST AS REPORTED ON SCANDALS
Wars like Vietnam
-Nixon bombed Cambodia desperate attempt to gain control =heightened backlash from young people which led to counter culture movement as they saw this as escalation= felt disillusioned by political machine and Nixon law and order stance. Held anti war protests like Kent state uni 1970. However It was the media that reported on the bombing William Beecher, military correspondent for the New York Times, publishes a front page dispatch from Washington, “Raids in Cambodia by U.S. Unprotested,”
-although ford left Vietnam 1973=still felt detrimental consequences of it =economy =indecisive with congress=unemployment rates rising by 1%=Carter with interest rates at historic high of 20% and unemployment rising at 7%=media exacerbated decline as highlighted failures of president to deal with the war and its impacts
News media
-constant portrayal of presidents as incompetent and unfit to be in power undermined legitimacy and credibilityford had mostly negative reactions SNL skits mocking intelligence and videos o him falling down ramp shown 11 times =lack respect
-carter failed to use media =tried to mimic FDR fireside chats and wearing cardigns all it did was decrease respect
-75% Americans saying ford and carter lacked presidential qualities 53% not turning out to vote
Was Roosevelt the main reason for changes to the presidency in the years 1933-60
