KEY TOPIC 3: Crisis of political leadership

Question 1

What was the Watergate?

Answer 1

It was a building that was an office block in Washington DC and its name symbolized power, corruption and abuse of power under Nixon.

Question 2

What was CREEP (1972)?

Answer 2

It was the Nixon’s Committee to re-elect the president. It tried to gain electoral advantage through gaining the Democratic Parties secrets. Because of this aim, CREEP organized 2 illegal break ins into the democratic national committee headquarters (in watergate building). They did this to install electronic hearing/surveillance devices.

Question 3

When were the first burglars from CREEP arrested?

Answer 3

17 June 1972 and were apprehended by democratic officers and arrested.

Question 4

What was Nixon’s initial reactons to the first break in?

Answer 4

They were mixed.
One hand he seemed unconcerned and said that the republicans always bug the democrats they just dont get caught.
On the other hand he tried to cover up the adminstrations involvment in the break in. It is uncertain whether the president knew about the break in, but he was involved in the attempted cover up from the first break in so….

Question 5

When was the second break in?

Answer 5

After discovering the second breakin, Nixon and his aides discussed using the CIA to stop FBI investigating the CREEP’s financing.
This was obviously obstructing justice and when CIA refused to cooperate, nixon tried paying the burglars to stay quiet (GIRL).

Question 6

When were watergate criminals convicted?

Answer 6

Despite Nixon’s attempts, the watergate burglars were convicted in January 1973.

Question 7

What happened when the Senate began an invesgtigation into the watergate affair in february 1973?

Answer 7

Opinion increasingly turned towards Nixon adminstration for doing it and his approval rating sank 17%. Plus, his vice president Spiro, was forced to resign over tax evasion and for accepting bribes and Nixon’s own finances began being investigated.

Question 8

What were the Watergate Tapes?

Answer 8

Nixon had tape recorded conversations in the white house. There was great pressure from congress and the press/public opinion forced him to release some of this tapes.

Question 9

What did the supreme court rule in regarding to the watergate tapes in July 1974?

Answer 9

The supreme court ruled he had to release them all. The tapes revealed Nixon did plan a cover up, the house of representatives moved to impeach him.

Question 10

What charges was Nixon being (almost) impeached for?

Answer 10

For
obstruction of justice (coverup and bribery)
abuse of power (by trying to use government agencies like CIA and FBI against his poltical enemies).

Question 11

What did Nixon do to avoid impeachment?

Answer 11

Nixon resigned in August 1974 and Vice President Gerald Ford became the president. Nixon was the first president who was forced to resign ever, and in disgrace too. Also 25 of his aides/associates were jailed for other stuff!!!
Gerald Ford did later pardon him though…

Question 12

What was the signifigance of Watergate?

Answer 12

Impacted US politics in many ways:
It impacted reblucian party. Nixon was a republican, but more moderate. So after him, the other republicans tended to be more extreme (ahem ahem reagan).

Also Nixon’s presidency affected the power and prestige of the president. Congress was already concerned about how much power the president yielded, so congress then enacted several laws to limit presidential power, such as the War Powers Act in 1973 which limits the presidents ability to go into war. This was to reduce ‘imperial presidency’.

Question 13

Who was Gerald Ford?

Answer 13

When Spiro Agnew (Nixon’s vice presdient resigned due to tax fraud), Ford accepted the Vice-Presidency.

He came across as a front that he was a ‘Ford not a Lincoln’. He wanted to appear as a regular guy. American’s related to him and his outgoing, lively family.

He then took over as president when Nixon resigned.

Question 14

What did Ford do that ruined his reputation?

Answer 14

After a brief honeymoon period between the press and public and Ford, his popularity plummeted. All because he pardoned Richard Nixon. The Pardon meant there would be no further proceedings (aka a trial) against Nixon for Watergate (public disagreed with greatly).

Question 15

What was Ford’s new idea of leadership?

Answer 15

He wanted a democratic controlled congress and wanted to work in partnership with them.

Question 16

Why did Ford have a general loss of respect?

Answer 16

The fact that he had not been elected, the pardon and also just the disrespectful coverage of him. People made fun of him about how he played football too often without a helmet, or how he fell down a plane ramp (showed 11 times in one newscast).

Pople called him Bozo the Clown and Jerry the Jerk.

Also Ford was indecisive, such as changing position on taxation.

Question 17

What happened in the 1976 general election?

Answer 17

Ford was defeated by the Democratic Jimmy Carter. The election confirmed how there was a crisis of leadership.

Carter emphasized how he was an outsider who was not a part of the corrupt Washington Scene and this contributed to his vitory.

76% throught Ford lacked presidential quality, but 80% thought this of Carter.

Question 18

What was Carter’s leadership style

Answer 18

He was unable to establish a productive relationship with congress, and there were criticisms of his Micromanagment.
Also he seemed to have a joint presidency with his wife.

Question 19

What was Carter’s relationship with the Democratic Congress like?

Answer 19

It was poor, although he was a Democrat himself. House Speaker said how Carter did not understand the need to master the legislative process.

Question 20

What was the critisism of his micromanagment?

Answer 20

It leaked out in 1979, when people said how he was overly micromanaging, especially when he reviewed all requests to use the White House tennis courts.

Question 21

What were people saying about his wife?

Answer 21

They said Carter was relying way too much on her, and even reffered to her as Mrs President.

Question 22

What were polls showing in 1977 and 1980 about Carter?

Answer 22

They showed how only 18% of Americans had a lot of confidence in carter.

By 1980, he had the lowest ever rating approval of any president and seemed unable to deal with pressing issues.

Question 23

What was the Iranian Revolution?

Answer 23

In 1978 Islamic Fundementalists overthrew and led a succesful revolution against the pro- American shah of Iran.

The shah of iran was supported by the USA, even recieving cancer treatment in the usa, and iranians did not like this.

Question 24

What was the Iranian Hostage crisis?

Answer 24

in 1979, the iranian militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 60 amercians hostage against carter letting the shah recieve the treatment.

American humilation continued when Carter tried to negotiate release, and then sent helicopters on a failed rescue mission in 1980.

One helicopter got lost, one broke down and one developed hydraulic problems.

One of the helicopters even crashed into a US transport aircraft, which killed 8 americans.

Question 25

What did the Iranian revolution/hostage crisis do for Carter?

Answer 25

It made carter look like a very poor and weak leader, and although the hostages were released later, it was only after Reagan had come in- so he got the credit. The comibanation of carters incompetetness and failure towards economic problems, led to his defeat to republican ronald regan in 1980

Question 26

What was the appeal of Ronald Reagan?

Answer 26

He came across as warm, genial and optimistic about American capacaties. This was in contrast to Carter who told America they were suffering a confidence crisis. Obviously people were having more hope in Reagan.

Question 27

In the 1980 election, did many people vote?

Answer 27

No, as politics was so dillusioned at this point 47% of the registered voters simply stayed home. And many were also just unemployed and poor. Many of these would have also voted democratic but they didnt end up voting.

Question 27

What statistics show the growing disillusionment within politics?

Answer 27

The percentage of Americans who felt that government will do whats right was 28% by 1979. Percentage of Americans who believed that government were smart people was also 29% by 1979.

Question 28

Why was there so much political dillusionment by 1980?

Answer 28

The vietnam war and the credibility gap, the whole watergate scandal and the pardon. And then media coverage disrespecting Ford and then all of Carters issues.

Question 29

Why was enviroment becoming a growing concern in the 1970's?

Answer 29

There was lots of publicity which led to increased awarness on how the Earth's resources are finite, and there was more desire to experience wildernass and parks.

Question 30

What environmental organizations grew?

Answer 30

Middle class liberals rejoined old organizations like the Sierra Club, or membership increased in the new ones like the National Resource Defense Council. In 1960 125,000 members of environmental organizations. Grew to 2 million in 1980.

Question 31

What was Edward Abbey's novel?

Answer 31

In 1975, his 'The Monkey Wrench Gang', attracted lots of attention. The story showed protestors using sabotage in opposition to those damaging the enviornment and the New York times called Abbey an underground cult hero.

Question 32

What happened in love canal that strenghtened enviromentalism?

Answer 32

There was a revelation that Love Canal, near Niagra Falls, was so full of industrial waste that it caused miscarriages and birth defects in the local population.

Question 32

How did enviromentalism impact politics?

Answer 32

The more lobbying for enviornment gained such strenght that many politicians were encouraged to pass environmental legislation. also industry and economic growth did provide employnment but was DAMAGING ENVIRONMENT.

Question 33

What was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Answer 33

It was established by Nixon in 1970 and asked American's to cut down on car exhaust emmisions. They also unleaded Gasoline in 1975 and introduced catalyctic converters which cut down car pollution by 75%.

Question 34

What were some of Carter's sucess with environment and legislation?

Answer 34

He obtained legilstation to prevent chemicals from polluting the environment, and expanded national park and wilderness land. 1980 Alaska Lands Act set aside 1/3 of state as wilderness and he renewed clean air and water acts as well as trying to seek alternative sources of energy. However it did not pass through congress, because Americans hated paying more for petrol.

Question 35

Why were Carter's achievments insufficient?

Answer 35

Because it was not enough for environmentalists and also upset the traditionally democratic labour unions. Workers in industries aho generated a great deal of pollution also believed that enviornmentalism damaged and threatened their jobs.

Question 36

How did environmentalism create political issues/what political issues did it cause?

Answer 36

. It caused intra party conflict as the democratic party contained both blue collar workers who hated environmentalism and middle class liberals who favored it. . inter party conflict as well (republicans less concerned about enviornment that democrats). . Some states like michigan were unanimas in opposing environmentalism. This is because they had huge manafacturing industries (like detroit), and were fearful it would damage them.

Question 37

What was the Sagebrush Rebellion?

Answer 37

There was a National Wilderness Preservation System which was set up by congress in 1964, the federal government controlled lots of tracts of land in southwestern states like Arizona. Most of this land was desert and covered with sagebrush plants. The sagebrush rebels were mostly business man who wanted control over natinal wilderness land so that they could do economic activities like mining, real estate and ranching here. They criticised the economic impact federal gov was happening because they were so concerned over enviornment.