Political Climate of the 1970s Paper

A defining moment in American history, the Watergate scandal, dramatically transformed the way Americans view politicians and government. In the eyes of most Americans, trust, honor and integrity, vanished from the political landscape.

The 1960’s and 70’s were filled with turbulent changes. The US was still reeling from containment and its domino policy, leading it to believe that it had the right to exercise influence in foreign affair. One foreign affair was known as Vietnam. The Vietnam War was the longest war in the nation’s history. This war, from both abroad and at home, drastically changed the society of America, socially, economically, and politically. It caused for much anti-war sentiment and fueled the counter culture movement, it caused inflation and contributed to the stagflation, and brought down Johnson’s reputation and caused for several changes in legislation.

While the liberal experienced emotional changes amid the 1970s, the Communist agreement experienced reduced rates of development yet not the sorts of amazing economic rebuilding that happened in the West. These improvements in the 1970s suggested the Cold War's determination in the 1980s. Arranged in similar connection, the changes of the liberal world economy during the 1970s uncovered – an in a few ways improved – the relative backwardness of the Soviet Union's charge economy, with final outcomes for the truth of the Communist administration. Universal fiscal change, in this view, encouraged the ideological and geopolitical improvements that would take the Cold War.

Throughout America’s history, few things have left the nation in such controversial turmoil as the Vietnam War. With an American death toll of almost 60,000 troops, the Vietnam War has gone down in infamy as one of the most tremendous struggles Americans have faced both overseas and on the home front. Because of the tumultuous controversies caused by the war, Americans split into two social factions – those against the war and those who supported it. During the years of 1961-1975 - the era in which the war had its greatest effect on Americans - the population of citizens from 18-35 years old and the Presidency were both affected irreversibly.

President Richard M. Nixon’s administration had to face many international and domestic challenges in the United States between 1968 and 1974, some positive and some negative. His achievements in expanding peaceful relationships with both China and the Soviet Union are contrastingly different with his continuation of the Vietnam War. In the end, Nixon’s scandals and abuse of presidential power caught up to him, and his administration did much to corrode America’s faith in the government.

The 1970s were a time of confusion and revolution in the United States. Integration finally prevailed in the public school system, with the major incident being in Little Rock, Arkansas. The United States went through an extreme energy crisis in the 1970s. Both Welfare and Social Security went through drastic reform policies throughout the decade. In addition, the U.S. economy fluctuated throughout the decade creating both good and bad times for many, as inflation rates hit an all-time high. The 1970s was an extremely influential decade in America's history, and one that helped to shape following decades.

Yet, to many this stage in the modern presidency was just the lesser of two evils. The public opinion of the president changed soon after America went into the Vietnam War, a proxy way between the communist led/soviet-backed Vietnamese governments. Another infamy to the country was The Watergate Scandal, which accused Nixon of ordering a break-in at the Democratic National Committee. He was also accused of violating the constitutional rights of the American people by misusing the IRS (Internal Revenue Service); and failure to provide the appropriate documents that he was ordered to present to the House Judiciary Committee, led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, which did not help the image of the presidency neither. These two events shaped how the people thought of the executive leader; it led them to believe that the president was wild, egocentric, and acted without the approval of congress. These unfortunate events would cause Nixon’s successors, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, to act with less vigor and less authority, which would make them seem especially weak and incapable of leading our nation. The situation improved with President Ronald Reagan and his policies that made the government smaller and improved the economic situation of the country. However, the situations at hand were not without controversy Reagan along with his

I think that this question is asking for the American public perception of the US government and their elected officials during both of these events. Both the Vietnam War and Watergate events had big impacts on American society. For example, the Vietnam War was the first war to be televised in color, but a lot of the baby boom generation were either in the war or against the war. The Watergate event made Americans feel let down because of the mistrust in the US

This was also during the time, President 's Nixon 's were having issues over Watergate expanded, delivering improved disappointment, doubt, and outrage among many Americans about the administration in Washington. Under new and passionate open and media investigation, the State Department started to battle with proof that showed bias and lack of care to many groups such as the, rights of retiree, women’s, The slow process for African American promotions and the insufficiency of the American Foreign Service selection test.

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

The decades of both the 1960s and 1970s were tumultuous decades. Protests, violence, activist movements, war, and more marked these decades, and within this time period and lingering still after, the American people grew to distrust their government. While there were many factors that led people to distrust the government, a few very important factors to this distrust were the Vietnam War, the Watergate Scandal, and President Gerald Ford’s pardoning of Richard Nixon. The Vietnam War was a devastating affair.

Watergate was the name of the biggest political scandal in United States history. It included various illegal activities constructed to help President Richard Nixon win reelection in the 1972 presidential elections. Watergate included burglary, wire tapping, violations of campaign financing laws, and sabotage and attempted use of government agencies to harm political opponents. It also involved a cover-up of conduct. There were about 40 people charged with crimes in the scandal and related crimes. Most of them were convicted by juries or pleaded guilty.

The unrest of the 1960s reached a boiling point in 1968, a year that can be considered the most turbulent year in American history. The tumultuous events that took place in 1968 effectively transformed the face of the nation in every aspect; economically, socially, and politically. Failed military tactics, assassinations, and violent civil rights movements were the defining characteristics of 1968. Despite the few good things that came out of that year, much of 1968 was dedicated to rebuilding the country, tragedy after tragedy. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, involvement in the Vietnam War, and escalating civil rights movements are a few of the quintessential events that contributed to

The term “Watergate” has become a common household name in correlation with people's thoughts about corruption in government. President Nixon was in office at the time of this scandal and is often thought to be the most famous face in America's conspiracy of wickedness in the government. The Watergate scandal had rocked everything our country thought we knew about the American Presidency because it had forfeited the common vision of the leader of the nation. Watergate had replaced the image of elegance and worldliness of the U.S. President with a scattered vision of corruption and extreme competitive measures that the country had never been a part of. Richard Nixon and his men had taken

The 1960s are frequently referred to as a period of social protest and dissent. Antiwar demonstrators, civil-rights activists, feminists, and members of various other social groups demanded what they considered to be justice and sought reparation for the wrongs they believed they had suffered. The decade marked a shift from a collective view on politics, to a much more individualistic viewpoint. The 1960s could easily be characterized as a period during which political, ideological, and social tensions among radicals, liberals, and conservatives in American society are seen to have rapidly unfolded. Due to this, the decade has had an overwhelming effect on the decades that have followed. The sixties have had the greatest impact on American society out of any decade in recent history. Whether for better or for worse, the decade has had a profound influence on politics, society, foreign policy, and culture.