nixon and watergate Flashcards
What is the watergate scandal an umbrella term of + dates?
Series of events between 1971 and 1974 that led to the resignation of President Nixon
How did the scandal begin?
A burglary which Nixon did not know about but had ordered similar burglaries
What was more damaging the scandal or the cover up?
Subsequent cover-up as Nixon was the architect in his own downfall by ordering the cover up
What are the contexts of the watergate scandal?
Nixon’s determination to be re-elected president for 1972
Why was Nixon unpopular in 1972?
During unpopular Vietnam war he had promised to end
He intensified, if not created the win-at-all cost political culture
What had Nixon done in 1971?
He ordered a break-in at the Brookings Institute to find ‘dirt’ to blackmail democratic ex-president LBJ
Who is CREEP and what did they do later in 1971?
Committee to reflect the president
Ordered a break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate Complex in Washington to bug telephones and find out useful information on opponents
How many burglars were sent by CREEP?
5 incompetents
What happened after the burglars were arrested?
Burglary was reported in newspapers but no one connected it with CREEP or Nixon at the time
But soon after two Washington Post reporters established a link between the burglars and CREEP
What was Nixons reaction to the two Washington post reporters?
He denied the link and tried to prevent an FBI investigation
What was the name of the two Washington Post reporters?
Woodward and Bernstein
Who was Nixons opponent in the 1972 election and how did he defeat him?
ohn McGovern
Depicted the decorated war hero as a pot-smoking, left-wing extremist
So… won by a landslide
What did the Senate do early in 1973?
Created a committee to investigate Nixon’s campaign activities
What emerged during the senate hearings?
It emerged that Nixon had known about the cover-up and had taped conversations in the White House
What did the senate committee demand after the investigations and what was Nixons reply?
The tapes
Nixon refused them until the Supreme Court forced him to do so
What did the tapes do to Nixon?
They discredited Nixon during an investigation by the House of Representatives into whether Nixon can be impeached
When did Nixon resign and why?
In August 1974
Resigned to avoid impeachment
What was the main impact on Nixon of the scandal?
The Watergate scandal first weakened Nixons authority and then destroyed his Presidency and his reputation
What did Nixon do after resigning?
He retired to private life in California
What did Nixons name become synonymous with?
Political corruption and dishonesty, leading to the coining of the adjective ‘Nixonian’
What was the main impact of Watergate scandal on US politics?
The prestige of the presidency was damaged
Nixon created a lasting climate of mistrust
Lead to new laws designed to prevent such scandals
What was the attitude of Americans to the presidency before watergate?
Americans had tended to admire and trust their presidents and the best were marblelized
What was the immediate impact of the scandal and Fords pardon on US politics?
contributed to the democrats’ victories in both mid-terms 2974 and presidential election of 1976 with democrat Jimmy Carter winning
When were these acts published?
The War Powers Act 1973
The federal election campaign act amendments 1974
The privacy act 1974
The congressional budget and impoundment control act 1974
What were the most important new laws?
The War Powers Act
The federal election campaign act amendments
The privacy act
The congressional budget and impoundment control act
What was the war powers act provoked by?
Nixon sending troops into Cambodia during the Vietnam war while denying it on national television
What did the War powers act do?
Designed to prevent Americans from being drawn into another Vietnam War again
Prevented a president from waging war without congressional approval by requiring all future presidents to notify congress within 48hours if they committed troops abroad and to withdraw those troops within 60 days unless they obtained a declaration of war or approval from congress
What did Nixon do to the war powers act?
He originally vetoed but congress overrode his veto
What did the federal election campaigns act do
Original: intended to set limits on spending on election campaigns and for more transparency in identifying where donations came from
What did the federal election campaigns act amendment do?
Changes made to the original act in 1971 in response to watergate scandal
Amendments created an independent body ( the federal election commission) to ensure original laws would be enforced
What did the privacy act do?
The acts key provisions were that citizens had a right to check what was stored and to correct it if it was stored
what caused the privacy act to be created and an example
Direct response to relevations that arose during the scandal about Nixon’s administration obtaining and storing information on US citizens example:Daniel Ellsberg psychiatrist office broken into to find information on his credibility as a whistleblower) on computers
What did the congressional budget and impoundment control act do?
The act required te president to obtain Congressional approval if they wished to reduce the amount spent or to delay spending
what provoked the congressional budget and impoundment control act
Arose as result of Nixon’s abuse of the power of the presidency to prevent congress funds allocated from being spent just because he disapproved what they were spending
How did the scandal impact journalism and what type?
It impacted investigative journalism with Woodward Bernstein turned into heroes
What happened to the relationship between politicians and the press like after the scandal and why?
The relationship between politicians and the press became more hostile than before
Cause: politicians had seen what the press could do to them and the press had seen the lengths which politicians would go to hide what they had done and then avoid having to pay for it
Who was Nixon succeeded by?
Gerald Ford
What was Gerald Ford like and who was he? 3
He was Nixons vice president
He was a modest man who no one had expected to become president
He was determined to place an end on the ‘long national nightmare’ (his words) that he believed was damaging citizens faith in Americas’ leaders
Why was Ford’s pardon essential?
It was essential if America wanted to move on even if it meant Nixon got off too lightly
What fact was Ford also conscious of?
1976 was America’s bicentennial year
Would not look to good if the lavish celebrations were ruined by a long drawn-out trial of her ex-president
What is a bicentennial year?
200th anniversary since independence
How did Ford pardon Nixon?
He acted legally within the constitution, issued a Presidential Pardon for any offences Nixon had “or may committed or taken part in”
anything goes pardon
Why was the phrase “or may committed or taken part in” inserted?
Ford knew that fresh revelations were almost certain to come out in the future after more investigations into Nixon’s conduct in office
What were many peoples reaction to Ford’s decision
They were critical and called Nixon’s pardon the ‘anything goes pardon’
They argued that Ford had allowed Nixon to get away with anything he might turn out to have done
What proved Ford right and why?
Time
Many who were critical now accepted that America needed to move on and that Fords decision was wise
