nixon and watergate

Question 1

What is the watergate scandal an umbrella term of + dates?

Answer 1

Series of events between 1971 and 1974 that led to the resignation of President Nixon

Question 2

How did the scandal begin?

Answer 2

A burglary which Nixon did not know about but had ordered similar burglaries 

Question 3

What was more damaging the scandal or the cover up?

Answer 3

Subsequent cover-up as Nixon was the architect in his own downfall by ordering the cover up

Question 4

What are the contexts of the watergate scandal?

Answer 4

Nixon’s determination to be re-elected president for 1972

Question 5

Why was Nixon unpopular in 1972?

Answer 5

During unpopular Vietnam war he had promised to end 

He intensified, if not created the win-at-all cost political culture 

Question 6

What had Nixon done in 1971?

Answer 6

He ordered a break-in at the Brookings Institute to find ‘dirt’ to blackmail democratic ex-president LBJ

Question 7

Who is CREEP and what did they do later in 1971?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

How many burglars were sent by CREEP?

Answer 8

5 incompetents

Question 9

What happened after the burglars were arrested?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What was Nixons reaction to the two Washington post reporters?

Answer 10

He denied the link and tried to prevent an FBI investigation

Question 11

What was the name of the two Washington Post reporters?

Answer 11

Woodward and Bernstein

Question 12

Who was Nixons opponent in the 1972 election and how did he defeat him?

Answer 12

ohn McGovern

Depicted the decorated war hero as a pot-smoking, left-wing extremist 

So… won by a landslide

Question 13

What did the Senate do early in 1973?

Answer 13

Created a committee to investigate Nixon’s campaign activities

Question 14

What emerged during the senate hearings?

Answer 14

It emerged that Nixon had known about the cover-up and had taped conversations in the White House

Question 15

What did the senate committee demand after the investigations and what was Nixons reply?

Answer 15

The tapes
Nixon refused them until the Supreme Court forced him to do so

Question 16

What did the tapes do to Nixon?

Answer 16

They discredited Nixon during an investigation by the House of Representatives into whether Nixon can be impeached 

Question 17

When did Nixon resign and why?

Answer 17

In August 1974 

Resigned to avoid impeachment

Question 18

What was the main impact on Nixon of the scandal?

Answer 18

The Watergate scandal first weakened Nixons authority and then destroyed his Presidency and his reputation 

Question 19

What did Nixon do after resigning?

Answer 19

He retired to private life in California

Question 20

What did Nixons name become synonymous with?

Answer 20

Political corruption and dishonesty, leading to the coining of the adjective ‘Nixonian’

Question 21

What was the main impact of Watergate scandal on US politics?

Answer 21

The prestige of the presidency was damaged

Nixon created a lasting climate of mistrust

Lead to new laws designed to prevent such scandals

Question 22

What was the attitude of Americans to the presidency before watergate?

Answer 22

Americans had tended to admire and trust their presidents and the best were marblelized

Question 23

What was the immediate impact of the scandal and Fords pardon on US politics?

Answer 23

contributed to the democrats’ victories in both mid-terms 2974 and presidential election of 1976 with democrat Jimmy Carter winning

Question 24

When were these acts published?

Answer 24

The War Powers Act 1973

The federal election campaign act amendments 1974

The privacy act 1974

The congressional budget and impoundment control act 1974 

Question 24

What were the most important new laws?

Answer 24

The War Powers Act  The federal election campaign act amendments  The privacy act The congressional budget and impoundment control act

Question 25

What was the war powers act provoked by?

Answer 25

Nixon sending troops into Cambodia during the Vietnam war while denying it on national television 

Question 26

What did the War powers act do?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

What did Nixon do to the war powers act?

Answer 27

He originally vetoed but congress overrode his veto

Question 28

What did the federal election campaigns act do

Answer 28

Original: intended to set limits on spending on election campaigns and for more transparency in identifying where donations came from 

Question 29

What did the federal election campaigns act amendment do?

Answer 29

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 

Question 30

What did the privacy act do?

Answer 30

The acts key provisions were that citizens had a right to check what was stored and to correct it if it was stored 

Question 31

what caused the privacy act to be created and an example

Answer 31

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 

Question 32

What did the congressional budget and impoundment control act do?

Answer 32

The act required te president to obtain Congressional approval if they wished to reduce the amount spent or to delay spending

Question 33

what provoked the congressional budget and impoundment control act

Answer 33

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 

Question 34

How did the scandal impact journalism and what type?

Answer 34

It impacted investigative journalism with Woodward Bernstein turned into heroes

Question 35

What happened to the relationship between politicians and the press like after the scandal and why?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Who was Nixon succeeded by?

Answer 36

Gerald Ford

Question 37

What was Gerald Ford like and who was he? 3

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Why was Ford’s pardon essential?

Answer 38

It was essential if America wanted to move on even if it meant Nixon got off too lightly

Question 39

What fact was Ford also conscious of?

Answer 39

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

Question 40

What is a bicentennial year?

Answer 40

200th anniversary since independence

Question 41

How did Ford pardon Nixon?

Answer 41

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

Question 42

Why was the phrase  “or may committed or taken part in” inserted?

Answer 42

Ford knew that fresh revelations were almost certain to come out in the future after more investigations into Nixon’s conduct in office

Question 43

What were many peoples reaction to Ford’s decision

Answer 43

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

Question 44

What proved Ford right and why?

Answer 44

Time  Many who were critical now accepted that America needed to move on and that Fords decision was wise