1. The crisis of political leadership

What did the ‘Watergate building’ symbolise?

Corruption, illegality and abuse of power under Nixon

Who was CREEP?

Committee to Re-elect the President

What did CREEP organise in 1972?

Two ilegal break-ins into the Democratic National Committee headquaters in the Watergate building

Install electronic surveillance devices

Who was arrrested on the 17th of JUne 1972?

Burgulars hired by CREEP who broke into Democrat offices

How did Nixon obstruct justice?

Attempted to use CIA to stop FBI investigating CREEP financing a break in

CIA refused, Nixon tried to keep burgulars quiet

17%

Nixon’s approval rating sunk

Why did Nixon’s vice president Spiro Agnew resign?

Tax evasion and accepting bribes

What did the Watergate tapes influence the House of Representatives move to do?

Impeach Nixon:

Obstruction of justice

Abuse of power

1974: Why did Nixon resign?

To avoid impeachment

VP Gerald Ford became president who pardoned Nixon

How did Watergate affect Nixon?

Moderate Republicans were disgraced

More right-wing republicans: RR dominate the party

Congress enacted laws to limit presidential power

What laws did Congress pass to limit an ‘imperial presidency’?

1973 War Powers Act

1978 Ethics in government Act

What did the 1973 War Powers Act do?

Designed to limit presidental war powers

What did the 1978 Ethics in government Act do?

Made it easier for a prosecutor to investigate alleged presidential wrongdoings

‘A Ford not a Lincoln’

What was Ford’s self-deprecatory joke?

How did the media percieve Ford?

His pardon of Nixon caused irreperable damage

Not elected: fair game for disrespectful coverage ‘Jerry the Jerk’

Who won the 1976 presidential election?

Carter v Ford = Carter win

76% for Ford and 80% for Carter

Percentage of people who believed they lacked ‘presidential quality’

Shows crisis of political leadership

Why did people say ‘can Carter cope?’

18% of people said they had ‘alot’ of confidence in him

Incapable of dealing with: economy, energy crisis and Iranian hostage crisis

What did Nixon sign in 1973?

Paris Peace Accords which ended the Vietnam war

Evoke fear US losing intl dominance

1978: What did Islamic fundamentalists do?

Overthrow pro-American Shah of Iran in the ‘Iranian revolution’

1979: What did the Iranian militants do in the US Embassy in Tehran?

Storm it and take 60 Americans hostage

Protest triggered by Carter allowing Shah to recieve cancer treatment in U.S

1980: ‘Failed Rescue Mission’

Carter failed to negotiate hostage’s release

Order military rescue mission but there were problems

Mission was then aborted by Carter and commanders

What were the problems during the mission to save the hostages?

Helicopter broke down entering Iranian airspace

Helicopter lost in a sandstorm

Helicopter collide with US transport aircraft during withdrawal

8 American airmen killed and 4 seriously burned

During the withdrawal of the ‘Rescue Mission 1980’

What was the impact of the Iranian hostage crisis on Carter?

Damage American international reputation and prestige

Hostages released in Reagan’s diplomacy

Led to Carter’s defeat in 1980 election

What was Reagan known as?

‘The Great Communicator’ MAGA

How was the disillusionment with the democrats clear in the 1980 election?

47% of registered voters didnt vote

Many were poor and unemployed: usually support democrats

How many members were there in environmental organisations in 1960’s?

125,000

How many members were there in environmental organisations in the 1980’s

2million

What was the 1978 Love Canal?

A body of water so full of industrial waste it caused disproportionate numbers of miscarriages and birth defects to the local population

What did Nixon’s Environmental Protection Agency 1970 ask car manufacturers to do?

Cut down on exhaust emissions

To comply they introduced catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline in 1976

75%

Car pollution cut by the provisions of Nixon’s EPA

What were Carters Acts on environmentalism?

Campaigned on it

Prevent chemicals from polluting the environment

Expand National Park and wilderness land

Renew Clean Air and Clean Waters Acts

How did environmentalism become a political issue?

Middle class democrats pro-environmental legislation

Blue-collar democrats didnt support it: threatened by it

Republicans less concerned