1. Legacy of the Vietnam War
• We lost the war. Up until Vietnam, the United
States had no boundaries—We could achieve
anything we wanted.
• This was a reality check
• We had not taken into account: Human Will,
Nationalization, and gross American
ignorance.
5. Détente becomes the new
Containment Policy
• Nixon and Henry Kissinger sought to create a
new international order based on the ideal of
“multi-polarity” in which China, Japan, and
Western Europe would play an increasing role,
to replace the bipolar US-Soviet system that
had existed.
• SALT
• Nixon Doctrine-support and aid
6. Domestic Policy
• New Federalism: returning power to the
States
• Family Assistance Plan—failed
• “Silent Majority”
• Chief Justice Warren and his “liberal”
decisions-expanded rights to the criminal
defendants
7. • Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC)
• Rising energy costs
• Decline of the industrial sector
• High interest rates
• Nixon proposed a wage and price control
• 10% tariff
• Fewer regulations
8. Re-election 1972
• Nixon was very concerned about winning re-
election. Nothing was going to get in his way.
Kept an enemy list filled with people whom he
considered a threat to his presidency.
• Seeking to gain an edge in every way he could,
Nixon’s team engaged in a host of subversive
tactics—from spying on opposition rallies to
spreading rumors to false reports.
9. Watergate
• One tactic included breaking into the
Democratic Party’s headquarters, a place
called Watergate, and stealing sensitive
information and placing wire tapping devices.
• The Burglars got caught.
13. No one is above the Law
• Gerald Ford becomes President and Pardons
Nixon of all wrong doing
14. Cost of Watergate
• Can Americans trust their government?
• Secret bombings, invasions, abuse of power,
administration cover up, etc.
• Journalists: “Bring down the Politicians”
• Politicians: No part of their lives would be
secret.
15. Jimmy Carter
• Carter’s efforts to distance himself
from the Washington establishment helped him
to defeat Ford. Moral and decent man, who
ignored the advice of the more established
and relied on many of his Georgia advisers.
• Committed American foreign policy to the
defense of Human Rights.
16. Foreign Policy
• Carter wanted the US to be “right and honest
and truthful and decent” in dealing with other
nations.
• He moved to give the Panama Canal back to
Panama
• Boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in
Moscow because the Soviet Union had
invaded Afghanistan.
• Pardoned the Draft Dodgers
18. The Hostage Crisis
• The US had long supported the leader of
Iran—the Shah of Iran—because Iran was a
major supplier of OIL to the US.
• The Shah however was growing unpopular
with the Iranians and was becoming a
repressive ruler.
• He was also introducing “Western” reforms to
the society.
• This did not make the Islamic clergy happy
19. • A revolution occurred and forced out the Shah
and an Islamic Republic was then declared.
• Islamic Republic is when religion and
government are united.
• In 1979 revolutionaries stormed the American
embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans
hostage.
20. For 444 days the hostages were held
captive. Carter could not negotiate for
their release.
