Nixon
Election of Nixon
The Election of 1968
- Nixon - Republican
- Wallace - American Independent
- Humphrey - Democrat
Republicans win by a landslide
- Nixon takes office in January of 1969
- Military and welfare spending increases dramatically
- Prices rose from increasing pay, low supply and high demand lead to high prices
Election of 1972
- Nixon- Republican
- McGovern - Democratic
Vietnam War Under Nixon
- Nixon had a great mind for foreign policies
- Vietnamization, the withdrawal of 540,000 troops from Vietnam
- The South Vietnamese were forced to use what knowledge and weapons the Americans had left to hold out against the North
- Nixon did not want to end the war, but remove American troops from the fight
- Nixon involves Cambodia in the war
- Riots break out in the US
- Nixon withdraws troops from Cambodia
Policy of “Détente”
- A "thawing out" of the Cold War; temporary pressure relief between USSR and China
- Nixon accepts an invitation to vistit China in 1972
- This period of decreased tension greatly improved relations with the Communist China
- In May of 1972, Nixon visits Moscow next
- The Soviets were worried that the US and China were going to form an alliance against them, and so the Soviets were eager to participate in talks with Nixon
- US and Soviet food trade; 750 million worth of wheat, corn and cereals were traded to the Soviet Union
- ABM treaty; limits ballistic missiles
- These actions by Nixon helped to get the US out of Vietnam
Watergate, Nixon's Impeachment, The Resignation
- Watergate - a series of scandals, such as the burglary of the Democratic headquarters
- Many Hours aides and advisers were forced to resign from their positions due to things like criminal obstruction of justice
- The improper use of the FBI and CIA; these agencies were used to audit or harass opponents of the Republican party
- Articles of impeachment are drawn when Nixon is taken to court about the Watergate tapes; Nixon refuses to release certain tapes
- The tapes are revealed to have Nixon participating in cover-ups and the misuse of the CIA and the FBI
- Public lashed out, forced Nixon to either be impeached or resign