Study Guide: The Nixon Administration (1969–1974)

Richard Nixon

Republican, former Vice President under Eisenhower, elected in 1968.

Law and Order

Nixon's campaign promise aimed at representing the 'silent majority' of Americans.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's appeal to conservative white voters in the South who opposed civil rights changes.

New Federalism

Plan to shift power from federal to state governments by giving states block grants.

Revenue Sharing

Provided states with money and fewer restrictions to reduce the size of the federal government.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Agency created in 1970 to enforce laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Stagflation

Economic struggle during Nixon's presidency characterized by high inflation and unemployment.

Wage and Price Controls

Measures tried by Nixon in 1971 to control inflation during stagflation.

Gold Standard

The monetary system Nixon took the U.S. off of, leading to floating exchange rates.

Realpolitik

Foreign policy based on practical objectives rather than ideology.

Détente

Nixon's approach to ease tensions with the USSR and China.

SALT I

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks treaty signed with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons.

Vietnamization

Nixon's strategy of gradually pulling U.S. troops out of Vietnam and training South Vietnamese forces.

Cambodia Bombing

Military action sparking protests and leading to the Kent State Massacre.

Paris Peace Accords

1973 ceasefire agreement that allowed U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, but fighting continued.

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic HQ connected to Nixon's campaign.

Nixon Tapes

Secret recordings that revealed Nixon's efforts to cover up the Watergate scandal.

Gerald Ford

Vice President who became president after Nixon's resignation on August 8, 1974.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s National Security Advisor and later Secretary of State. Major figure in Nixon’s foreign policy; helped shape détente and led negotiations for the Vietnam War and SALT I Treaty.

Spiro Agnew

Nixon’s first vice president. Resigned in 1973 due to a separate corruption scandal (unrelated to Watergate), leading to Ford becoming VP.

Mao Zedong

Leader of Communist China. Met with Nixon in 1972 during Nixon’s historic trip to open diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China.

Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein

Washington post reporters. Investigated and helped uncover the Watergate scandal through deep reporting and secret sources.

Leonid Brezhnev

Leader of the Soviet Union during Nixon’s presidency. Worked with Nixon on the SALT I Treaty and détente between the U.S. and USSR.

John dean

Nixon’s White House Counsel (lawyer). Testified during the Watergate hearings and revealed Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up.

G. Gordon Liddy & E. Howard Hunt

Planners of the Watergate break-in. Worked for Nixon’s re-election committee (CREEP) and were arrested for breaking into the Democratic headquarters.