NIXON

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President Nixon sought to restore law & order and traditional values at home, and to ease Cold War tensions abroad. Program: New Federalism appealed to “Middle America” After his election victory in 1968, Nixon began the Southern strategy to win even more Southerners to the Republican Party. The protests of the 1960s were passionate and sometimes violent. The nation elected President Nixon on a promise to uphold the values of what Nixon called “Middle America.” In foreign policy, Nixon charted a new path with a historic visit to China. At home he introduced “New Federalism.” In 1974 the Watergate scandal forced Nixon to resign. He took steps to slow desegregation.  To keep his promise of law and order, Nixon set out to battle American crime. Nixon criticized the Supreme Court regarding expanded rights for accused criminals. NIXON ELECTED 1968

APPEALING TO MIDDLE AMERICA Many Americans supported the gov. & longed for an end to the violence of the 1960s. The 1968 Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon, appealed to the people whom he called “Middle America.” He promised them peace in Vietnam, law & order, a streamlined government, + a return to conservative values. APPEALING TO MIDDLE AMERICA

Nixon had promised to appoint conservatives to the federal courts, to name a Southerner to the Supreme Court, to oppose court-ordered busing, + to choose a vice president acceptable to the South  large # of white Southerners left the Democratic Party & voted for Nixon. After his election victory, Nixon began the Southern strategy to win even more Southerners to the Republican Party  took steps to slow desegregation. To keep his promise of law and order, Nixon set out to battle American crime. Nixon criticized the Supreme Court regarding expanded rights for accused criminals. He appointed several conservative judges to the Supreme Court, including one from the South. APPEALING TO THE SOUTH

NIXON’S DOMESTIC POLICY – NEW FEDERALISM Nixon’s Republican leaders dismantled several federal programs & gave more control to state + local gov. Under Nixon’s New Federalism program, Congress passed a series of revenue-sharing bills that provided federal funds to state + local agencies. Intended to give state + local agencies increased power, but it actually led to a greater dependency on federal funds. NIXON DID NOT CARE ABOUT DOMESTIC POLICY. NIXON’S DOMESTIC POLICY – NEW FEDERALISM

Nixon chose former Harvard professor Henry Kissinger as his national security adviser Bipolar vs.” multipolar” worldview meant needed a different strategy Détente = or relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals–the Soviet Union and China. Must build better relationship with rivals to ensure world peace Nixon and Kissinger put their foreign policy in place and attempted friendlier relations with the Soviet Union and China. Nixon was anti-Communist but came to reject the idea of a bipolar world with the United States and the Soviet Union confronting each other. Nixon felt the “multipolar” world would need a different approach *Both believed in a gradual withdrawal from Vietnam, a practical approach to foreign policy, to continue to contain communism, and to use engagement and negotiations to achieve international goals. NIXON FOREIGN POLICY

Ping Pong Diplomacy 1971: Mao Zedong of China holds a series of Ping-Pong tournament in China and invites the USA’s best Ping-Pong players to compete; this marked the first time since 1949 that Americans had stepped foot in China and established a friendly relation with the Chinese Nixon lifted trade & travel restrictions, and withdrew the Seventh Fleet from defending Taiwan. (Feb. 1972) Nixon took a historic trip to China, where both leaders agreed to better relations between the nations. Détente with China: “Let us start a long march together, not in lockstep, but on different roads leading to the same goal, the goal of building a world structure of peace and justice.” DÉTENTE WITH CHINA

After learning of the negotiations between the U. S. & China, the U. S After learning of the negotiations between the U.S. & China, the U.S.S.R. suggested an American-Soviet summit, or high-level diplomatic meeting, in May 1972. Nixon became 1st president to visit the Soviet Union. During the summit, the countries signed the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) to limit the amount of nuclear arms produced and reduce their nuclear stockpile. The countries agreed to increase trade and the exchange of scientific information. SALT I signed by Nixon and Brezhnev DÉTENTE WITH SOVIETS

Under Nixon, in 1973 the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced an embargo, or the stopping of shipping, of petroleum to countries that supported Israel -> Economic recession The price of a barrel of crude oil increased from $3 in 1973 to $30 in 1980. The high prices for oil based products meant that Americans had less money to spend on other goods, tipping the economy into a recession. OPEC

WATERGATE SCANDAL Nixon defensive, secretive, resentful (1972) 5 Nixon supporters broke into the Democratic Party’s headquarters to locate campaign information & install wiretaps on telephones, but were caught by security guard & arrested Although it is thought that Nixon did not order the break-in, it is believed that he did order the cover-up. The Watergate scandal began as the Nixon administration attempted to cover up its involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters, as well as other illegal actions committed during Nixon’s re-election campaign. Although he had a high approval rating after the summit meetings, the unpopular Vietnam War still dragged on. Nixon’s staff was worried about the close margin of the 1968 victory. Richard Nixon had become defensive, secretive, and resentful of his critics during his long and difficult climb to the presidency. He went as far as creating an “enemies list,” naming people from politicians to members of the media. Discovered by a security guard, the burglars were arrested. On June 17, 1972, five Nixon supporters broke into the Democratic Party’s headquarters to locate campaign information and install wiretaps on telephones, but were caught by security guard and arrested ***Most Americans believed the president when he claimed he had no involvement in the break-in, and Nixon won re-election in 1972. WATERGATE SCANDAL

Wins reelection 1972 –public believes Nixon had nothing to do with it at first Nixon refused to hand over tapes of White House conversations sought during the investigation, pleading executive privilege = the principle that White House conversations be kept confidential to protect national security. Refusing to turn over unedited tapes, Nixon is impeached = officially charged with presidential misconduct 1974 Nixon resigned, & Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States. On July 16, White House aide Alexander Butterfield testified that Nixon had ordered a taping system installed in the White House to record all conversations to help him write his memoirs once he left office. In the fall of 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign after it was discovered he had taken bribes from state contractors while governor of Maryland. The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Gerald Ford, became the new vice president. *Nixon released edited transcripts of the tapes in April 1974, claiming they proved him innocent. Investigators went to court again to force Nixon to turn over unedited tapes. In July the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon had to turn over the unedited tapes. On one of the tapes was found evidence that Nixon had ordered the CIA to stop the FBI’s investigation of the break-in. NIXON RESIGNS

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