The Nixon Administration

1. The Nixon Administration Section 20.5 and 22.1

2. 1968 Election • Nixon barely beat Humphrey and Wallace • Vowed to represent Middle America and the Silent Majority

3. New federalism • Believed US had tired of LBJ’s Great Society • $$$ • Believed gov’t COULD fix social problems if it gave more power to the states to use locally • Revenue sharing

4. A frustrated perspective • 1969 – Nixon assumed the lead of a nation divided and embittered by Vietnam • US was unwilling to further directly challenge Soviet strength globally

5. Expanding gov’t power • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) • Regulated the workplace • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created • Clean Air Act – designed to control air pollution on a national level • Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) created • Domestic enforcement of the controlled substances act • Medicare grew

6. Leftover stagflation from Lbj • Costs of Vietnam and Great Society came due for Nixon • Inflation and recession coupled to create Stagflation • Foreign competition further hurts economy (Japan and Germany)

7. Philadelphia plan • Nixon is pragmatic…learns to work for everyone • Required labor unions and Federal Contractors to hire minorities • First form of affirmative action • Wants to ensure equal opportunity

8. Flawed Nixon response • 15 Aug 1971 – Nixon places a 90 freeze on wages and prices • Price controls cause economic tailspin through mid-1970s as supply and demand rules ignored

9. Gov’t interference in the marketplace • Normal Economics - High prices signal business to produce more out of self interest • After the Controls - Price and Wage controls make it not worth the time to produce and ship more • Causes shortages for the consumer (more gas lines)

10. Redefining the Cold War Foreign Policy of Nixon

11. Time for a new foreign policy • Nixon and Henry Kissinger forge a model of “REALPOLITIK” • Policy determined by concrete interests, not by ideology • Makes for messy bedfellows (the enemy of my enemy…)

12. Gaining traction • Realpolitik allows for trade with communists and trade wars with allies • Policy looked at individual communist nations rather than a global unified threat • Created flexibility in US foreign policy

13. Breaking down communism Nixon’s effective splitting of the Chinese – Soviet Alliance

14. Figuring out the players - China • Mao – not such a good guy • Collectivization (1955) – 100 Flowers Campaign • Great Leap Forward (1958) • Cultural Revolution (1966) • 60-80 million dead • Mao’s perceptions • Resented USSR who looked at him in a secondary standing • Feared US after Korean War • Truman Doctrine • Trying to expand influence (Tibet, Korea, Vietnam) • Border disputes with USSR over Mongolia

15. Actual Ping-Pong diplomacy • April 1971 – US team invited to play in China after Japan tournament • 1st US citizens in China since 1949 • July 1971 – Nixon sends Henry Kissinger on one day visit to Pakistan (secret meeting with Prime Minister Zhou Enlai of China) • Negotiated a visit by Nixon to China to RECOGNIZE China!

16. Back on the HOmeFront Nixon’s Policies at Home

17. Nixon’s impact on politics and society • Southern Strategy • Target white southerners and blue-collar workers – traditional Democrats • Plan to control national politics for years to come for the Republican party

18. Southern strategy builds • South historically democrats • After moratorium, Nixon appeals to “Dixiecrats” on • foreign policy strength • More moderate civil rights views • Smaller federal gov’t with more states rights

19. The busing issue • 1971 – Supreme Court mandates busing to integrate schools • Nixon speaks out, issues moratorium • Very popular over all US

20. China Helps to Thaw the Cold War Back to Foreign Policy

21. Nixon recognizes china • Feb 1972 – Nixon visits China • Offers recognition and trade relations • Radical realpolitik move that shocks the USSR • Terrified of potential Chinese – US alliance and rising Chinese power

22. A thawing of the cold war • Chinese visit pays off • Already tense with China over Mongolia, the Soviets fear isolation if US and China ally • 1972 – Brezhnev invites Nixon to Moscow

23. Détente • Nixon policies create coordination instead of suspicion • Short Run – helps end Vietnam War (USSR pressed on N. Vietnam to negotiate a treaty) • Long Run – beginning of the end of the Cold War

24. Beneficial outcomes of the summit • Plans to coordinate on the environment and medical care • Plans for joint space missions (Apollo – Soyuz link in space) • SALT froze missile deployment and ABM deployment

25. S.a.l.t. • Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (S.A.L.T.) – reduce the number of missiles for the US and USSR • By mid-1970s each side had 25,000 warheads • Today the US has 10,000 and Russia has 15,000 • Known Nuclear Countries Today: • US, Russia, England, France, China, India, Pakistan, N. Korea (kind of), and Israel

26. Affects of the Cold War Thaw at Home The People’s Response to Nixon’s Strategies

27. Nixon wins again • Nixon’s 1972 Election • Peace in Vietnam • Men on the moon • Represents the common man • Strong on crime • Middle way on civil rights • Popular over China and USSR • Environment • Landslide victory

28. social upheaval • Vietnam Protests, AIM, La Raza • Roe vs. Wade • 1973 – Burger Court rules for abortions • Highly controversial today!

29. The yomkippur war of 1973 • Arab states (Soviet allies) and Israel (US ally) go to war • US and USSR push both sides to negotiate cease-fire • Nixon used Kissinger and “Shuttle Diplomacy” • 1st mutual effort to coordinate, not control

30. Making things worse • 1973 – Yom Kippur War causes Arabs to ban together to create Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) • Embargo oil sales to Israel’s allies • Oil jumps up 400%

31. Embargo effects • Gas went from 38¢ to 55¢ in one year • Rationing system • Could only fill up based on the last number of the license plate • Oil embargo lasted about a year • We went to Canada (largest dealer today)