American Politics In The 1970s

American Politics The 1970s were by far the most turbulent decade for the United State domestic and abroad. The government was torn in many different directions and the Vietnam War had torn the public in two different directions as well. Throughout the entire decade every citizen of the United States had to question the legitimacy of the government and if they could honestly trust the government. Several events plagued the decade: Vietnam, Watergate, Iran Hostage Crisis, and Stagflation. The White House lost all creditability and none of the Presidents could stop the bleeding that occurred. The 1970s put the United States under the most pressure to perform with the whole world watching since World War 2. The 1970s saw three different Presidents within eight years which is rather uncommon. The first was Richard Nixon followed by Gerald Ford and then Jimmy Carter. Richard Nixon saw the most action in the White
The first major event was the fact he inherited the Vietnam War. His campaign ran underneath the issue of withdrawing from the war when elected. His goal was, “Peace with Honor” when withdrawing from Vietnam. That was his first successful moment of President. Détente was a very impressive achievement for Richard Nixon. It eased tensions with the Soviet Union and gave people hope that the Cold War would eventually come to an end. Nixon was the first president to visit China in several decades. Wanted to bring competition to the Soviets and encourage trade. Nixon was a very successful President. His failure does really stand out. One word: Watergate. Watergate overshadowed his entire presidency. It put the white house under a watchful eye of the people. Watergate involved five retired CIA agents and they planned on wiretapping. Ended up costing him his second term and he resigned in 1974. Nixon