KEY TOPIC 3: Crisis of political leadership Flashcards
What was the Watergate?
It was a building that was an office block in Washington DC and its name symbolized power, corruption and abuse of power under Nixon.
What was CREEP (1972)?
It was the Nixon’s Committee to re-elect the president. It tried to gain electoral advantage through gaining the Democratic Parties secrets. Because of this aim, CREEP organized 2 illegal break ins into the democratic national committee headquarters (in watergate building). They did this to install electronic hearing/surveillance devices.
When were the first burglars from CREEP arrested?
17 June 1972 and were apprehended by democratic officers and arrested.
What was Nixon’s initial reactons to the first break in?
They were mixed.
One hand he seemed unconcerned and said that the republicans always bug the democrats they just dont get caught.
On the other hand he tried to cover up the adminstrations involvment in the break in. It is uncertain whether the president knew about the break in, but he was involved in the attempted cover up from the first break in so….
When was the second break in?
After discovering the second breakin, Nixon and his aides discussed using the CIA to stop FBI investigating the CREEP’s financing.
This was obviously obstructing justice and when CIA refused to cooperate, nixon tried paying the burglars to stay quiet (GIRL).
When were watergate criminals convicted?
Despite Nixon’s attempts, the watergate burglars were convicted in January 1973.
What happened when the Senate began an invesgtigation into the watergate affair in february 1973?
Opinion increasingly turned towards Nixon adminstration for doing it and his approval rating sank 17%. Plus, his vice president Spiro, was forced to resign over tax evasion and for accepting bribes and Nixon’s own finances began being investigated.
What were the Watergate Tapes?
Nixon had tape recorded conversations in the white house. There was great pressure from congress and the press/public opinion forced him to release some of this tapes.
What did the supreme court rule in regarding to the watergate tapes in July 1974?
The supreme court ruled he had to release them all. The tapes revealed Nixon did plan a cover up, the house of representatives moved to impeach him.
What charges was Nixon being (almost) impeached for?
For
obstruction of justice (coverup and bribery)
abuse of power (by trying to use government agencies like CIA and FBI against his poltical enemies).
What did Nixon do to avoid impeachment?
Nixon resigned in August 1974 and Vice President Gerald Ford became the president. Nixon was the first president who was forced to resign ever, and in disgrace too. Also 25 of his aides/associates were jailed for other stuff!!!
Gerald Ford did later pardon him though…
What was the signifigance of Watergate?
Impacted US politics in many ways:
It impacted reblucian party. Nixon was a republican, but more moderate. So after him, the other republicans tended to be more extreme (ahem ahem reagan).
Also Nixon’s presidency affected the power and prestige of the president. Congress was already concerned about how much power the president yielded, so congress then enacted several laws to limit presidential power, such as the War Powers Act in 1973 which limits the presidents ability to go into war. This was to reduce ‘imperial presidency’.
Who was Gerald Ford?
When Spiro Agnew (Nixon’s vice presdient resigned due to tax fraud), Ford accepted the Vice-Presidency.
He came across as a front that he was a ‘Ford not a Lincoln’. He wanted to appear as a regular guy. American’s related to him and his outgoing, lively family.
He then took over as president when Nixon resigned.
What did Ford do that ruined his reputation?
After a brief honeymoon period between the press and public and Ford, his popularity plummeted. All because he pardoned Richard Nixon. The Pardon meant there would be no further proceedings (aka a trial) against Nixon for Watergate (public disagreed with greatly).
What was Ford’s new idea of leadership?
He wanted a democratic controlled congress and wanted to work in partnership with them.
Why did Ford have a general loss of respect?
The fact that he had not been elected, the pardon and also just the disrespectful coverage of him. People made fun of him about how he played football too often without a helmet, or how he fell down a plane ramp (showed 11 times in one newscast).
Pople called him Bozo the Clown and Jerry the Jerk.
Also Ford was indecisive, such as changing position on taxation.
What happened in the 1976 general election?
Ford was defeated by the Democratic Jimmy Carter. The election confirmed how there was a crisis of leadership.
Carter emphasized how he was an outsider who was not a part of the corrupt Washington Scene and this contributed to his vitory.
76% throught Ford lacked presidential quality, but 80% thought this of Carter.
What was Carter’s leadership style
He was unable to establish a productive relationship with congress, and there were criticisms of his Micromanagment.
Also he seemed to have a joint presidency with his wife.
What was Carter’s relationship with the Democratic Congress like?
It was poor, although he was a Democrat himself. House Speaker said how Carter did not understand the need to master the legislative process.
What was the critisism of his micromanagment?
It leaked out in 1979, when people said how he was overly micromanaging, especially when he reviewed all requests to use the White House tennis courts.
What were people saying about his wife?
They said Carter was relying way too much on her, and even reffered to her as Mrs President.
What were polls showing in 1977 and 1980 about Carter?
They showed how only 18% of Americans had a lot of confidence in carter.
By 1980, he had the lowest ever rating approval of any president and seemed unable to deal with pressing issues.
What was the Iranian Revolution?
In 1978 Islamic Fundementalists overthrew and led a succesful revolution against the pro- American shah of Iran.
The shah of iran was supported by the USA, even recieving cancer treatment in the usa, and iranians did not like this.
What was the Iranian Hostage crisis?
in 1979, the iranian militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 60 amercians hostage against carter letting the shah recieve the treatment.
American humilation continued when Carter tried to negotiate release, and then sent helicopters on a failed rescue mission in 1980.
One helicopter got lost, one broke down and one developed hydraulic problems.
One of the helicopters even crashed into a US transport aircraft, which killed 8 americans.
What did the Iranian revolution/hostage crisis do for Carter?
It made carter look like a very poor and weak leader, and although the hostages were released later, it was only after Reagan had come in- so he got the credit.
The comibanation of carters incompetetness and failure towards economic problems, led to his defeat to republican ronald regan in 1980
What was the appeal of Ronald Reagan?
He came across as warm, genial and optimistic about American capacaties. This was in contrast to Carter who told America they were suffering a confidence crisis.
Obviously people were having more hope in Reagan.
In the 1980 election, did many people vote?
No, as politics was so dillusioned at this point 47% of the registered voters simply stayed home. And many were also just unemployed and poor. Many of these would have also voted democratic but they didnt end up voting.
What statistics show the growing disillusionment within politics?
The percentage of Americans who felt that government will do whats right was 28% by 1979.
Percentage of Americans who believed that government were smart people was also 29% by 1979.
Why was there so much political dillusionment by 1980?
The vietnam war and the credibility gap, the whole watergate scandal and the pardon. And then media coverage disrespecting Ford and then all of Carters issues.
Why was enviroment becoming a growing concern in the 1970’s?
There was lots of publicity which led to increased awarness on how the Earth’s resources are finite, and there was more desire to experience wildernass and parks.
What environmental organizations grew?
Middle class liberals rejoined old organizations like the Sierra Club, or membership increased in the new ones like the National Resource Defense Council.
In 1960 125,000 members of environmental organizations. Grew to 2 million in 1980.
What was Edward Abbey’s novel?
In 1975, his ‘The Monkey Wrench Gang’, attracted lots of attention. The story showed protestors using sabotage in opposition to those damaging the enviornment and the New York times called Abbey an underground cult hero.
What happened in love canal that strenghtened enviromentalism?
There was a revelation that Love Canal, near Niagra Falls, was so full of industrial waste that it caused miscarriages and birth defects in the local population.
How did enviromentalism impact politics?
The more lobbying for enviornment gained such strenght that many politicians were encouraged to pass environmental legislation.
also industry and economic growth did provide employnment but was DAMAGING ENVIRONMENT.
What was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
It was established by Nixon in 1970 and asked American’s to cut down on car exhaust emmisions. They also unleaded Gasoline in 1975 and introduced catalyctic converters which cut down car pollution by 75%.
What were some of Carter’s sucess with environment and legislation?
He obtained legilstation to prevent chemicals from polluting the environment, and expanded national park and wilderness land.
1980 Alaska Lands Act set aside 1/3 of state as wilderness and he renewed clean air and water acts as well as trying to seek alternative sources of energy. However it did not pass through congress, because Americans hated paying more for petrol.
Why were Carter’s achievments insufficient?
Because it was not enough for environmentalists and also upset the traditionally democratic labour unions. Workers in industries aho generated a great deal of pollution also believed that enviornmentalism damaged and threatened their jobs.
How did environmentalism create political issues/what political issues did it cause?
. It caused intra party conflict as the democratic party contained both blue collar workers who hated environmentalism and middle class liberals who favored it.
. inter party conflict as well (republicans less concerned about enviornment that democrats).
. Some states like michigan were unanimas in opposing environmentalism. This is because they had huge manafacturing industries (like detroit), and were fearful it would damage them.
What was the Sagebrush Rebellion?
There was a National Wilderness Preservation System which was set up by congress in 1964, the federal government controlled lots of tracts of land in southwestern states like Arizona.
Most of this land was desert and covered with sagebrush plants.
The sagebrush rebels were mostly business man who wanted control over natinal wilderness land so that they could do economic activities like mining, real estate and ranching here. They criticised the economic impact federal gov was happening because they were so concerned over enviornment.
