...Richard Milhous Nixon Nick Bennett Perspectives on the Presidency Dr. Kane 4 April 2011 Richard Milhous Nixon, an introverted man in an extroverted environment, was a brilliant but flawed individual. Described as having a “light side” and “dark side,” Nixon routinely displayed vindictive and insecure qualities that were very detrimental to his presidency. Nixon was a man of many complexities and contradictions that seemed to all stem from his troublesome childhood. Nixon excelled in foreign affairs as he broke the ice with numerous nations and possessed a remarkable knowledge. He was an innovative thinker and developed intricate strategies that would give him a bold portrayal. Although he had an undeniable amount of knowledge, he displayed many negative characteristics within his personality and views in regard to his power. Spending long nights alone, Nixon would evaluate problems, correlate the information and develop a very plausible solution. Regarding Richard Nixon and the notion of presidential power, he implemented some beneficial uses, however several examples of abuse. He would sometimes even act on issues without seeking approval or guidance from congress. Nixon used unjustified means in order to accomplish his tasks, thus sparking much debate concerning the extraordinary power of the United States President. Nixon’s personality can be described as paradoxical and flawed. His childhood was difficult to say...
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...of Richard Nixon’s presidency is invariably connected to the Watergate scandal, because of its effect on the public’s view of the presidency and government. It is hard to forget one of the most massive instances of government corruption and dishonesty that stemmed from the president himself. Nixon was known as a politician that would do whatever it takes to achieve his political goals and eliminate his competition. He came into the presidency when the U.S. was in a time of cultural and political conflict, so he appealed to a silent majority in order to win votes. Despite Nixon’s success in foreign and environmental affairs, his presidency was overshadowed by his domestic policies and the Watergate scandal. Emerging from the 1960’s, the Nixon’s era was characterized by conflicting political and social movements and deteriorating economic and environmental conditions. Nixon was elected because of his image as a steady Republican candidate amid disarray within the Democratic party. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek reelection, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s campaign was ruined by protests. In addition,...
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...Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, once stated, “Let us move from the era of confrontation to the era of negotiation” he meant this and he reflected it in his presidency (qtd. in Bondi 236). Nixon was the first U.S. president to engage in foreign affairs with the most powerful communist countries, China and the Soviet Union. He negotiated an end to the Vietnam War and made a breakthrough with the SALT agreement with the Soviet Union. Towards the beginning of his second term he ruined his career with a scandal known as Watergate. All of the foreign policy negotiations and accomplishments that Nixon made in his five years of office was, unfortunately, masked by Watergate. When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, The United...
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...that stretched from the election of Richard Nixon in 1968 to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 saw the problems of the 1960s come back to haunt the nation. In Vietnam, despite Nixon's efforts to conclude a "peace with honor," the American involvement ended with the victory of the North Vietnamese and a defeat for the United States. The moral authority of the powerful presidency that developed under Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson eroded as a result of Nixon's Watergate scandal. In an effort to avoid similar mistakes, the voters turned out Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, in 1976 and elected a political newcomer, Jimmy Carter, of Georgia. In spite of their personal decency and hard work, neither Gerald Ford nor Jimmy Carter proved to be strong, effective presidents who could meet the challenges of the 1970s. Ford was the 38th President of the United States, and the only one to have served as both President and Vice President without being elected by the Electoral College. As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War. With the invasion of South Vietnam by the communist north nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended. Domestically, Ford presided over arguably the weakest economy since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. One of his more controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal...
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...Nixon and the U.S. Rapprochement with the People’s Republic of China When Nixon began his presidency, the relations between the United States and China had been fraught ever since Mao Zedong’s Communist Party achieved power and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Less than a year later in 1950, the Korean War, in which American troops died at the hands of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, further exacerbated the situation. The next twenty years were characterized by American opposition to UN membership for Mainland China, three crises between the two nations in the Taiwan Straits, threats of nuclear attack, and the fighting of a proxy war in Vietnam. But the two decades of hostility and nonrecognition of the People’s Republic of China was brought to an end during President Richard Nixon’s administration, marked most prominently by Nixon’s historic visit to Mainland China in 1972. In ending this hostile estrangement, Nixon thus executed the first stage of a momentous diplomatic revolution in U.S. policy towards Communist China. This turning point, as Nixon and his National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger suggested, also “changed the world” by transforming a Cold War U.S.-Soviet bilateral international system into a tripolar one, in which powers are balanced and national interests are secured. In the process of the rapprochement, President Nixon, managed to show the world his sound judgment, pragmatic perspective, and negotiation strategy in the field...
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...1 Nixon and the Watergate Scandal Adrian Tillman HIS/145 the American Experience After 1945 January 5, 2012 Dr. Bernnell Peltier 2 Nixon and the Watergate Scandal In 1968 Richard Nixon became the 37th President of the United States of America. Only serving one full term, he also was under heavy scrutiny and the only President to resign from office. His resignation came before his inevitable impeachment from Congress. With the resignation of his Vice President Spiro Agnew (in 1973 because of bribes and kickbacks; Brinkley 2007) he was also forced to “come clean” in his scandals about the Watergate office building in Washington D.C. The Watergate scandal was when five men from Nixon’s re-election committee broke into the Democratic Party headquarters on June 17, 1972. Nixon was soon accused of “covering up” the scandal and refusing to turn over evidence subpoenaed by the Supreme Court ("Impeachment History" 2007 Pearson Education). The Beginnings As the 36th Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower (1952-1960), Nixon a Republican was defeated in the 1960 Presidential election by John F. Kennedy. He continued to work as a Republican leader throughout the 60’s and worked his way to the forefront by...
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...President Nixon enacted foreign and domestic policy Identify key political events that impacted the Presidency during this time period Identify the impact the economy had on America Identify key events in the birth of the Environmental Movement President Nixon at Home and Abroad President Richard Nixon pushed conservative policies. President Nixon wanted to limit power of the federal government by introducing revenue sharing. Revenue sharing allowed local and state governments more freedom to spend federal aid. Nixon wanted to reform social welfare, but his plan failed to pass Congress. At first Nixon worked with Congress, which Democrats controlled. Soon he refused to spend money voted by Congress on programs that he did not approve of. The Supreme Court ruled President Nixon's actions unconstitutional. President Nixon began a policy of law and order by enlisting the CIA and IRS to harass the liberals and dissidents that he considered...
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...International Problems Assignment 2: Current Events and U.S Diplomacy Professor Susie Okoro March 12, 2014 Define presidential doctrine and summarize the regional or global events during the Cold War leading up to the formation of the presidential doctrine you wrote about in Assignment 1. A doctrine is belief or policy taught or advocated by either a political party, church or other group. It also can be defined as a body of teachings or instructions. In this particular case President Richard Nixon’s presidential doctrine is being described from previous Assignment 1. A president should want to announce a presidential doctrine because it becomes the foundation on which a country builds its foreign policy upon. After being elected in 1969, President Nixon’s doctrine focused on justifying and accomplishing his goals of withdrawing American troops from South Vietnam during a costly war. With American strength in Vietnam reaching 500,000, it was time for Nixon to act on his promise that got him elected. With Americans extremely displeased with the casualty rate reaching 15,000 and the war costing the U.S economy 25 billion, on July 25, 1969, President Nixon established that from now on Asian countries fighting against communist aggression would have rely on their own manpower instead of American troops. He also stated that in exchange for troops, United States would send military advisors and weapons, and furnish military and economic assistance. With this doctrine he was...
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...dollars, the war seemed to start with good intentions that seemed to get lost in the lengthy battle for the North’s freedom, unity, and hopes that America would put a stop to the continuing communistic presence from taking over in Indonesia. In this paper we will review the following: · Nixon’s foreign policy team (Kissinger) and the team’s actions · Nixon Strategy · Détente · Election of 1972 · Antiwar demonstrations and marches on the White House · The Silent Majority · Cambodia “invasion” · Kent State · Vietnamization and Laotian incursion · The My Lai Massacre · SALT Treaty I · The diplomatic strategies of the Paris Accord · Prisoners of War (POWs) · Vietnam Syndrome · Specific political and military legacies of the Vietnam War, both in America and globally Nixon’s Foreign Policy and Actions and Strategy Looking to end the war Nixon made several speeches to the public urging to gain acceptance in ending the war. According to the speech “Richard Nixon: Vietnam War Speech”, it spoke to the Silent Majority Speech that he had given on November 3, 1969. President Nixon then spoke to how long we had been in the Vietnam War and that it would not be in our best interest to completely withdrawal from the war but that we needed to pursue a peaceful resolution to the war. In...
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...race”; all about being technologically and economically superior to one another. Then Richard Nixon becomes our 37th President of the United States, and initializes many changes on foreign policy. When Nixon takes office, he also takes on the responsibilities of the ongoing Vietnam War. At first, he takes a strong military stance and escalates military actions, but soon starts withdrawing troops. Finally, in 1973 negotiates a ceasefire between North and South Vietnam; ending the war for good. Some believe the war couldn’t be won, and others disagreed, but the public consensus believed we needed to get out; Nixon listened to the people (Simkin, 2008). President Nixon believed in diplomacy over military might, and he proved this with two acts in 1972; opening communications with China and a visit to Moscow that opened up disarmament talks. Of course these diplomatic attempts of peace did not go without scrutiny of the American public; it did lead the way for future talks for others that would follow Nixon. Even with an energy crisis and economic hardships, the country found Richard Nixon popular, and he easily won a second term in office. If it were not for the Watergate Scandal, I believe Richard Nixon would of made more progress in peace talks with Communist nations. He believed in and proved that diplomacy worked. Reference Simkin, J. (2008). Biography: Richard M. Nixon. Retrieved from...
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...domestic politics and our foreign policy in the 70s? After Nixon took government in the year 1969 and he proposed dramatic American government restructuring. Nixon believed that buried creative entrepreneurship below Red Tape Mountains and fostered dependency in handouts. Nixon had been practicing the New Federalist when he entered into the congress in 1946. Throughout Nixon political career, he opposed huge government programs, and then he fought to restore the political authority in the local level. By the act of Civil Rights in 1964 and voting rights in 1965, most of the African Americans were lived without any protection of law, equal economic opportunity and equal access of public facitlities. Nixon...
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...Roosevelt, are known for their great leadership and wonderful policies. Others, like Richard Nixon, may never recover from their time in the Oval office. Most Americans feel as if the biggest presidential mistakes were made during the time of the Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter administrations. Nixon cheated during his political campaign, Ford only defended Nixon and let the economy drown, and Carter was too much of a nice guy. The twelve year span of these three presidents nearly broke America. However is this completely their fault, or did they each inherit an already broken America? When Richard Nixon took office in 1969, America was in a time of change. The American people started demanding rights such as ending the draft, women’s rights, and African-American rights. Nixon was quick to realize this and honed in on ways to give the people what they wanted. In the year of 1972, Nixon was granted permission to visit the People’s Republic of China, which opened the closed diplomatic relations between the two countries. Also, in the same year Nixon initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union. Nixon was not done there, in 1973 he was able to end American involvement in the Vietnam War and was able to rescue the American POWs. At the same time, Nixon was able to end the military draft. His administration gradually transferred power from Washington to the individual states. Nixon was first to thoroughly enforce desegregation within Southern...
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...1. What was the Rockefeller Report? Why was it important? Richard Nixon sent the New York Governor, Nelson Rockefeller, to talk with Latin American leaders and give recommendations to the US policy. Rockefeller reported that the US and Latin American were becoming more distant and suggested that the US show more tolerance for authoritarian rule in Latin America. This is significant because it left the Nixon administration with two options to maintain bilateral relations with Latin America. He could either give more economic aid or assist the authoritarian governments. 2. Why did the US oppose Allende's democratically elected government? How responsible was the US for its overthrow? Allende sought to improve the living standards of his nation by decreasing the influence of large land owners and US multinational corporations. As a result, the US copper mining companies and the International Telephone and Telegraph feared that they would lose more under his power. Also, Nixon feared that if Chile...
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...Impact of US Foreign Policy on the Vietnam War The Vietnam War is one of the most talked about wars in history. It began in 1959 and did not end until 1975. These years saw protests, conflicts, casualties, and confusion for the United States, as well as the terms of three presidents: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. When U.S. involvement in the war began under Kennedy, it was originally put out as a plan for the United States to only aid the South Vietnamese, but, after his assassination, Johnson was put in charge. The path that the war took under Johnson was filled with controversy and large numbers of casualties. When Johnson did not run for a second term, Nixon was left in charge to ultimately turn things around. Soon, all of the American troops were removed from Vietnam, and the war slowly began to come to a close. But what was it about Nixon’s foreign policy that was so much more successful than Johnson’s? Was Nixon’s policy more closely related to Kennedy’s successful strategy than Johnson’s was, and, if so, why didn’t Johnson do a better job modeling his policy after Kennedy? These are all questions that political scientists still look at today as a way to solve the many questions that are still being posed about the war. I have looked deeply into these questions, and found answers through researching the history of Vietnam as well as the three presidents. As I read about each event that unfolded, it became clear to me why there were such...
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...From 1945-1991, United Sates foreign relations were chiefly guided by containment and its philosophy. Where as strategic action would be taken to stop the spread of communism. Devised by George Keenan and adopted by Harry Truman, containment was created during the Cold War to stop the spread of Soviet influence, and communist rule. Examples of this doctrine are the war in Vietnam, Korea, Iran, and other countries where democracy seeking countries were looking for U.S support over communist governments. Although containment was heavily influenced within the U.S foreign relations principles, there are a few examples where U.S policy was not guided by Cold War thinking. The first example comes from negotiations between the U.S and Russia, called...
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