The Nixon AdministrationChapter 21 Section 1

Nixon’s New Conservatism• Richard M. Nixon entered

the White House in 1969• Wanted to turn America in

a conservative direction• Nixon wanted to

▫ Decrease size and influence of federal government

▫ Wanted to distribute some federal power to the states New Federalism

Law and Order Politics

•Nixon began “law and order” policies

•He promised the “silent majority” middle class Americans wanted order restored

Law and Order Politics• Nixon used full resources

of his office (sometimes illegally) ▫ FBI illegally wiretapped

many left wing individuals

▫ CIA- investigated and compiled documents of 1000’s of Americans

▫ What did the IRS do?▫ Would audit the tax

returns of Nixon’s enemies

Nixon’s Southern Strategy

•Nixon tried to attract Southern conservatives by appealing to their unhappiness with federal desegregation polices and a liberal Supreme Court

A New South

•Since Reconstruction, the south had been a Democratic stronghold

•By 1968, many Southern Democrats felt their party was too liberal

A Battle Over the Supreme Court• Nixon had the

opportunity to add a Chief Justice (Warren Burger) and 3 associate justices to make the court more conservative

• What issue did the Court go against Nixon?

• School Busing

Confronting a Stagnant Economy•The US faced high

inflation and unemployment- called stagflation

The Causes of Stagflation• LBJ’s policy of war and

social programs through deficit spending

• New workers- international trade, women, baby boomers

• Nation’s dependency on foreign oil-What is OPEC

• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Nixon battles Stagflation

•Raised taxes and cut the budget (did not work)

•Price and wage freeze (a temporary success)

Nixon’s foreign Policy Triumph•Nixon focused a lot

of his time and effort on Vietnam and advancing relationships with China and the Soviet Union

Kissinger and Realpolitik• The architect of

Nixon’s foreign policy was his advisor for national security Henry Kissinger▫Realpolitik- German

term meaning “Realistic politics”

▫Détente- a policy aimed at easing Cold War Tensions

Nixon Visits China• 1st US President to

recognize Communist China in 1971

• Took advantage of a problem between China and USSR to improve diplomatic and economic relations relationships between the two nations

Nixon Travels to Moscow• In May 1972 Nixon

became the 1th President to visit the USSR

• Nixon signed the SALT 1 Treaty

• Limited the number of nuclear missiles the US and USSR could have

• (Strategic Arms Limitations Talks)

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Triumphs

•These foreign policy triumphs with China and the USSR helped with Nixon’s reelection in 1972