Nixon Foreign Policy

Question 1

What is Realpolitik

Answer 1

Realpolitik is a way of making political decisions based on practical and realistic factors rather than ideals or morals. It focuses on power, strategy, and national interest instead of what is “right” or “wrong.”

Question 2

What approach did Nixon have towards foreign policy decisions?

Answer 2

• Guided by Henry Kissinger, his National Security Adviser and later Secretary of State.
• Pursued détente (relaxation of Cold War tensions) with the USSR and China.

Question 3

How did Nixon deal with China?

Answer 3

In 1972:
- First U.S. president to visit Communist China (February 1972).
- Recognized the One China policy, isolating Taiwan.
- Opened diplomatic relations, leading to trade agreements.

Question 4

How did Nixon deal with the USSR?

Answer 4

• Met Leonid Brezhnev (General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) in Moscow.
• Signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), restricting nuclear weapons.
• Agreed to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, slowing the arms race.

Question 5

How did Nixon deal with Vietnam?

Answer 5

• Vietnamization: Gradually withdrew U.S. troops and transferred responsibility to South Vietnamese forces.
• Secret bombing of Cambodia & Laos (1969) escalated the war, sparking protests (e.g., Kent State massacre, 1970).
• 1973 Paris Peace Accords: The U.S. withdrew; the war continued until the North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

Question 6

What happened at Kent State?

Answer 6

• Students were protesting President Nixon’s decision to expand the Vietnam War into Cambodia.
• The protest turned chaotic, and some students threw rocks at the National Guard.
• The Guard opened fire, shooting 67 rounds in 13 seconds, killing four students and injuring nine others.

Question 7

Why was what happened at Kent State important?

Answer 7

• Sparked nationwide outrage and more protests against the Vietnam War.
• Showed growing tension between the U.S. government and anti-war activists.
• Led to more distrust of the government, especially among young people.

Question 8

Why and how was the My Lai massacre exposed?

Answer 8

The My Lai Massacre was revealed to the U.S. general public on November 12, 1969, when journalist Seymour Hersh published an investigative report detailing the atrocity.

Question 9

What happened at My Lai?

Answer 9

• The massacre occurred on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.
• U.S. soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment killed between 300–500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, in the village of My Lai.
• The military initially covered it up, calling it a victory against enemy forces.

Question 10

How did Nixon’s foreign policy fail?

Answer 10

• Although the U.S. pulled out in 1973, the war continued for two more years and ended with the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces in 1975.
• Nixon secretly expanded the war into Cambodia and Laos to destroy North Vietnamese sanctuaries (The invasions were highly controversial and fueled anti-war protests in the U.S.
• Nixon supported a military coup in Chile (1973), leading to the overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende and the rise of the Pinochet dictatorship.
  -This intervention damaged U.S. credibility and was seen as a step backwards in promoting democratic values abroad.