Domestic Politics 1961-74 Flashcards
(28 cards)
1
Q
Overview of politics between 1960 +1975
A
- turbulent + unpredictable —> time of prosperity + hope but also divisiveness, anger + violence
- framed by the defeats of Nixon in close race for presidency in 1960 + then his dramatic exit after the watergate scandal
- victory of campaign for civil rights of AA
- Democratic Party who was dominant in the 1960s, tore itself apart in 1968
2
Q
Kennedy’s presidency
A
- had an agenda for action + renewal but his presidency was cut short (assassinated in 1963), leaving many of his aims unfulfilled
- promised a ‘New Frontier’ = bringing change, dynamic energy + idealism after the passive Eisenhower
3
Q
What made Kennedy a respected president?
A
- his prestige + authority was massively enhanced by his resolute leadership in the 1961 Berlin crisis + 1962 Cuban missile crisis
- he also had strong determination to defend against communism in Asia
4
Q
Limits of Kennedy’s power?
A
- Bay of Pigs incidence = taught him not to trust the CIA
- Cuban missile crisis showed that many of his generals, e.g. air force chief Curtis Lemay were warmongers
- FBI was even harder to control = operated as a private bureaucratic empire of J.Edgar Hoover, whom many president wanted to sack but his reputation + his ‘Hoover files’ containing secrets of public figures ensured no president dared to
5
Q
Kennedy’s response to civil rights?
A
- by 1961, Martin Luther king had emerged as a charismatic national leader, with the power of television focusing attention on discrimination in the south
- Kennedy did take some positive action e.g. govt posts + federal judgeships were given to black appointees, desegregation was enforced on interstate travel + discrimination in federally owned public hosing was banned
- June 1963 = Kennedy put forward a comprehensive civil rights bill that outlawed discrimination on the grounds of race, required fair voting registration + banned segregation in schools, at work or public places
6
Q
Limitations of Kennedy’s support for civil rights?
A
- Kennedy was cautious as he didn’t want to alienate the democrats in the south, and he was also a first term president who wanted to be re-elected in 1964
- Kennedy was mostly reacting to events rather than taking the initiative
- the civil rights bill put forward in June 1863 faced heavy opposition in congress + his assassination means’s there was widespread fear that civil rights legislation would be blocked
7
Q
Impact of Kennedy’s assassination
A
- killed November 1963 in Texas
- his assassination caused panic about possible political conspiracies
- the new President Lyndon Johnson faced the task to reassure the nation + provide stability
- the drama of the situation is emphasised through LBJ being sworn in as president aboard Air Force One with Jackie Kennedy still in the same bloodstained clothes
8
Q
International situation in Johnson’s presidency
A
- deepening involvement in south east Asia —> since 1961 Kennedy had sent arms + ‘advusers’ to strengthen the govt of south Vietnam against communist rebels back by NV + China
- this left a division as to how far American involvement should be escalated
- this had been unresolved at the time of Kennedy’s death
9
Q
Start of LBJ’s presidency
A
- committed himself to continue Kennedy’s political agenda
- in his first hundred days he got through much of the legislation planned by Kennedy which had been stalled by congress = tax reduction, foreign aid, reform of higher education + Civil Rights Act
10
Q
LBJ’s second presidency
A
- re-elected in 1964 = this presidency is undermined by the war in Vietnam, rise of the youth culture + violence
- referred to as the ‘Great Persuader’ = managed to see through the Civil Rights Act 1964
- followed up in 1965 with a Voting Rights Act
11
Q
Lyndon B. Johnson’s re-election
A
- 1964
- won with strong democratic majorities in the house and the senate
- only states won by Republican candidate Goldwater was his home state Arizona + five states in the Deep South that rebelled against the democrats
- Johnson was then able to carry out his plans for the ‘Great Society’
12
Q
What was the Great Society?
A
- Johnson was a big supporter of the power of ‘big government’
- he had a strong commitment to bringing social justice to millions of ‘forgotten Americans’ by his War on Poverty + building the Great Society
- despite the prosperity of the middle class + skilled workers during the post war boom, there was extensive pockets of poverty
13
Q
Policies of the Great Society (welfare)
A
- federal spending on education + welfare massively increased after Johnson re-election victory in 1964
- Higher Education Act = made it easier to access college courses, National Teachers Corps set up to get teachers working in areas of poverty
- Medicare provided to ensure healthcare for people aged 65+ and provided funding to states so they could offer healthcare to the poor of any age
- Housing + Urban Development Act 1965 + ‘Model Cities Act’ 1966 improved urban planning + urban mass transportation systems
14
Q
Limitations of LBJ’s Great Society
A
- many schemes were ineffective
- total funding was never enough to cover all needs
- Johnson’s social reforms were overshadowed by the political consequences of the Vietnam war
15
Q
Why was LBJ unsuccessful with the Vietnam war?
A
- the search for victory in Vietnam was a disaster as Johnson’s political instincts were tuned to domestic reform
- he was uncertain in foreign affairs + often deferred to the foreign policy experts inherited from Kennedy
- the planners promised Johnson there would be victory in Vietnam but this failed to materialise = more younger men were drafted for an unpopular war + casualty rates rose
- notably hardening of public opening against the war in 1966
16
Q
Impact of the Vietnam war on Johnson
A
- weakening Johnson’s authority + undermining his domestic policies
- anti-war protests became more hostile
- the prospects of a democratic election victory in 1968 was under threat
17
Q
Position of the Democratic Party in 1968
A
- March 1968 = LBJ spoke live on television appealing for an end to divisiveness + for trust in the values of American democracy
- he announced he would not run again for president = dramatic shock to political system
- Johnson made an offer of peace to north Vietnam in 1968 that opened the way for an end to the war, but his abdication mean that the election would be held in an atmosphere of instability + uncertainty
18
Q
Why was it unlikely the democrats would win the 1968 election?
A
- Johnson hoped him not running for presidency would help the Democratic Party to overcome divisions but this did not happen
- three powerful candidate, Eugene McCarthy, Robert Kennedy + vice president Humphrey fought a bitter race to win the democratic nomination
- anti-war protests continued + in April Martin Luther King was assassinated
- June = Robert Kennedy assassinated
- the democratic convention in Chicago was marked by violence which were broadcasted on tv = the mayor of Chicago was accused of organised police brutality as ordinary Americans were shocked by the use of dogs, tear gas etc.
- Humphrey was nominated but the prospects of democrats winning was badly damaged
19
Q
Republican position in 1968 election
A
- return of Nixon as the Republican candidate
- Nixon positioned himself as a moderate = claimed to represent the ‘Silent Majority’ of Americans who supported the war + opposed the ‘unpatriotic’ rebelliousness which was occurring in America
- ready to exploit the ‘southern strategy’ aiming to win the support of white southerners discontented with democrat policies on civil rights
20
Q
Results of the 1968 election
A
- the election was close despite the problems facing the Democratic Party
- the decisive factor in the outcome was the intervention by George Wallace, an independent candidate
- Wallace was well known for opposing Kennedy + Johnson over civil rights + had wide appeal in the south = won five states in Deep South
- this split the democrats by attracting alienated white voters in the south but the LBJ had already lost the south in 1964
- Wallace may have taken the south away from Nixon, but votes for Wallace from alienated democrats may have tipped close races against Humphrey
- this certainly convinced Nixon to go even harder with the southern strategy in 1972
21
Q
Democratic support in the southern states 1963-75
A
- LBJ’s support for civil rights caused a fundamental change in the political stance of southern democrats
- 1964 = Deep South voted for Goldwater (republican) against Johnson
- 1968 = Wallace had previously fought against the Kennedy administration over desegregation of education (1963) + him running for presidency handed victory to Nixon
- Democratic Party had lost the ‘solid south’
22
Q
Nixon’s presidency
A
- foreign affairs = eventually ended the Vietnam war + achieved reputation as a world statesman by his breakthrough in relations with China in 1972
- won a landslide victory in 1972
- but Nixon’s success was limited due to a period of stagflation, the collapse of his ‘peace with honour’ in indochina + the watergate affair
23
Q
Domestic politics under Nixon
A
- believed more in federal intervention more than most republicans + continued the policies of Johnson’s great society to an extent
- introduced reforms of the tax system
- tried to establish a national healthcare insurance system, but this was defeated in congress
- set up a Family Assistance scheme to provide federal funding for state welfare payments to poor families
- Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 to advice govt on environmental issues
24
Q
Limitations of Nixon’s domestic politics
A
- conservation towards race relations —> encouraged his vice President to appeal to discontented white southerners
- slowed down the implementation of desegregation of schools in Mississippi + blocked moves to extend the 1965 Voting Rights Act + appointed a conservative judge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
25
1972 election
- Nixon’s policies infuriated liberals but were well received by the ‘Silent Majority’
- Nixon won a crushing re-election victory
- this was due to the weakness of his opponent (George McGovern) who was easily portrayed as ‘ultra-liberal’ + by Wallace not being able to run for President due to being paralysed after an assassination attempt
26
Watergate Scandal
- Nixon was bound to win the 1972 election but felt a paranoid need to make it certain
- ‘plumbers’ burgled Democratic Party offices + connections were eventually made with the Republican Party
- Nixon was believed to be the centre point of an elaborate cover up, with John Dean who was one of his advisers before he was sacked claimed Nixon was directly involved
- pressure reached its peak in 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled Nixon must turn over tape recordings of all White House conversations
27
Impact of the Watergate scandal
- July 1974 = House of Representatives put forward articles of impeachment accusing Nixon of obstruction of justice, abuse of power + contempt for congress
- August 1974 = to avoid the embarrassment of impeachment Nixon resigned
28
Who replaced Nixon in 1974
Gerald Ford
