Watergate scandal 1972-1974 Flashcards
what was CREEP?
Nixon’s committee to re-elect the president.
how did CREEP hope to gain a political advantage on their opposition?
by organising two break-in’s and gaining secret information from the democrats.
where did the break-ins take place?
the national democratic committee in the Watergate building
when was the first burglary ?
June 17th 1972
how did Nixon respond to the first Burglary initially?
he initially reacted by saying that it was “just politics” and that “everyone bugs everyone”
what was Nixon’s second reaction to the robbery?
he quickly moved to try and cover up the involvement of the administration
when were the burglars convicted?
1973 and an investigation began on the white house.
what happened within a few days of discovering the second break in?
- Nixon tried to get the cIA to prevent the FBI from communicating they refused and Nixon then began paying off the Burglars for their silence.
what happened to Nixon’s approval rating?
it dropped to 17%
what did the supreme court rule in 1974?
that all of Nixon’s presidential tapes had to be leaked - the tapes revealed that Nixon was trying to cover up the scandal.
what was the outcome of the Watergate scandal for Nixon?
he was threatened with impeachment, so was forced to resign to avoid this in August 1974.
what changes occurred after the WG scandal?
- people turned to more right wing republicans ( Nixon was a moderate republican )
- lack of faith in the government
- legislation was put in place to reduce the power of the president.
what are examples of two pieces of legislation which reduced the power of the president/government?
- War Powers act 1973 = limited presidential power to take a nation into war
- Ethics in Government act 1978 = this limited scandals by having a special prosecutor investigating any alleged presidential wrong doings.
