Politics (73-80) Flashcards
When was Richard Nixon president?
1969-74
When was Gerald Ford president?
1974-77
When was Jimmy Carter president?
1977-81
What happened in Nixon’s 1st and 2nd term?
1st
- Huge amount of political power
- Commander-in-chief of the Army - Controlled the world’s greatest nuclear weapons arsenal and military
2nd
- 1973: Signed Paris Peace Accords - Ended Vietnam War (growing fear that USA was losing its international primacy)
What was CREEP?
What was the Watergate Scandal?
Began 1972
- CREEP set up to make sure Nixon gets a 2nd term
- Used illegal means to obtain their goals - broke into a Watergate Hotel, with intention to bug and steal Democrat campaign papers
- Attempted to cover this up after the ‘burglars’ were caught
- Was re-elected in ‘72
- Eventually they were found out. Nixon resigned ‘74
Give a summary of Ford’s presidency
- Became VP of Nixon
- After he resigned, America wanted a ‘regular guy’ in the White House, thus Ford was elected
- Rejected excessive formality
- Ford pardoned Nixon - hated by public and Congress
- Ford then lost the next election to Carter
Give a summary of Carter’s presidency
- Used the fact he was not present when the Watergate scandal took place to win election
- Also rejected excessive formality
- Sold Presidential Yacht
- Wore casual clothes - decreased formality was criticised
- Attempted to deal with the Iran Conflict
What was the Iran Conflict?
- 1978 - Islamic Fundamentalists led a successful revolution
- 1979 - Iranian Militants stormed the US embassy and took American hostages - protest against Carter allowing the Shah (Ruler) to receive cancer treatment in the US
- Failed to negotiate the hostages’ release
- Sent helicopters on an unsuccessful rescue mission
- Were released but only after the US had a new President
- Embarrassment - public losing faith in their country
Give a summary of politics in the 70s
Public didn’t have much faith after Watergate
Presidents after struggled to gain trust and support
Decreased confidence in the Government
