Domestic Politics 1961-74: Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon Flashcards
Who was JFK and how did he plan to plan to improve people’s lives?
He was a Democrat with ambitious plans to improve people’s lives through his New Frontier programme. This included urban renewal, medical care for the aged and a higher minimum wage. He was also a fiscal conservative who was reluctant to increase government spending.
Why did JFK struggle to get his measures passed?
He was faced with a hostile Congress dominated by conservative Democrats and Republicans who vetoed most of his measures.
What measures did Kennedy’s administration succeed on passing?
- Public work schemes costing $900 million were undertaken
- He increased the minimum wage to $1.25 an hour
- Measures were passed to help the long-term unemployed, such as the Manpower and Training Act to help them retrain
- Social security benefits were extended
What was Lyndon B. Johnson like?
More ambitious on the domestic front. He declared war on poverty and introduced an extensive Great Society programme that was intended to transform the USA
What were the two objectives of the Great Society?
- To give poorer people the wherewithal to improve their own lives
- To provide them with direct help where necessary
What did LBJ’s Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 do?
This created various programmes such as the Job Corps to work on community projects, funded by the federal governments
What did LBJ’s Medicare do?
It was a healthcare provision paid for out of taxes, and by federal government.
* The Medical Care Act provided care for the elderly funded in part from their taxes
* Medicaid provided healthcare cover for the poor
What did LBJ’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 do?
This marked the first time the federal authorities became involved in funding public education; the aim was to ensure provision was equal across the USA
What were the failing of the Great Society?
- Money earmarked for its provision had to be diverted towards the cost of the Vietnam War
- States often diverted funds themselves away, for example, from education
- Costs of provision were too high so coverage was often less than anticipated
What was Nixon like?
He was far more interested in foreign affairs than domestic and was also a conservative who sought a reduced role of government.
What was Nixon’s biggest domestic issue when he came into the presidency?
While he did maintain many of the Great Society programmes, his biggest domestic issue was the economy, which suffered from increasing inflation.
How did Nixon deal with the economic problem? Did it work?
His response was the New Economic Policy:
* It aimed to reduce borrowing by forcing up interest rates
* When this failed, in 1971 he introduced a 90-day prices and wages freeze and created a Pay Board and Price Commission to oversee these
In fact inflation did slow and a 7.9% devaluation of the dollar made US goods more competitive abroad
What was the Watergate scandal?
During the 1972 election campaign, burglars were discovered in the Democrat Party headquarters in the Watergate Building. These were subsequently found to have been sent by Nixon’s campaign managers to bug the offices.
What was the result of the Watergate scandal?
Nixon and other government officials denied all knowledge, however, the investigation of the scandal progressed to presidential level and Nixon was forced to resign in 1974 but it was such a scandal that Nixon’s government could hardly function in normal terms.
